Amazon's 'Melania' Documentary Flops, Exposes the Limits of Right-Wing Sympathy
The highly touted documentary "Melania," which tells the story of Donald Trump's third wife and first lady, has failed to generate much buzz. Despite a hefty price tag of $40 million for the film and an additional $35 million spent on marketing, the movie has opened to near-empty theaters, with no sold-out screenings or viral clips from MAGA enthusiasts.
While critics may not have entirely panned the film, its lackluster reception is largely due to the fact that MAGA voters simply do not care about it. The documentary's attempts to humanize Melania and present her as a complex figure have fallen flat, thanks in part to her own lack of involvement with the MAGA movement and her inability to speak their language.
The film's promotional tour was also underwhelming, featuring corporate heavy-hitters like Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon Studios chief Mike Hopkins at a White House screening during a snowstorm. Melania then appeared on Fox News, touting her vision for "unity" and downplaying the country's ongoing divisions. However, this message resonated little with MAGA voters, who are conditioned to be skeptical of anything that seems like elite-approved propaganda.
The movie's troubled production history also raises questions about its value. Director Brett Ratner has faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault, casting a shadow over the project's legitimacy. Furthermore, Melania herself reportedly pocketed over $28 million from her share of the rights fee, fueling concerns that Bezos is more interested in courting favor with Trumpworld than in producing quality journalism.
The flop of "Melania" also serves as a symptom of a larger problem: Amazon's prioritization of business interests over journalistic integrity. The recent exodus of talent from the Washington Post, including Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes and numerous columnists, has confirmed that Bezos is willing to compromise on core values in pursuit of profit.
As the media landscape continues to deteriorate, "Melania" stands as a cautionary tale about the limits of right-wing sympathy. In a world where MAGA voters are increasingly wary of anything that seems like elitist bias, it's clear that the line between quality journalism and propaganda has grown perilously thin.
The highly touted documentary "Melania," which tells the story of Donald Trump's third wife and first lady, has failed to generate much buzz. Despite a hefty price tag of $40 million for the film and an additional $35 million spent on marketing, the movie has opened to near-empty theaters, with no sold-out screenings or viral clips from MAGA enthusiasts.
While critics may not have entirely panned the film, its lackluster reception is largely due to the fact that MAGA voters simply do not care about it. The documentary's attempts to humanize Melania and present her as a complex figure have fallen flat, thanks in part to her own lack of involvement with the MAGA movement and her inability to speak their language.
The film's promotional tour was also underwhelming, featuring corporate heavy-hitters like Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon Studios chief Mike Hopkins at a White House screening during a snowstorm. Melania then appeared on Fox News, touting her vision for "unity" and downplaying the country's ongoing divisions. However, this message resonated little with MAGA voters, who are conditioned to be skeptical of anything that seems like elite-approved propaganda.
The movie's troubled production history also raises questions about its value. Director Brett Ratner has faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault, casting a shadow over the project's legitimacy. Furthermore, Melania herself reportedly pocketed over $28 million from her share of the rights fee, fueling concerns that Bezos is more interested in courting favor with Trumpworld than in producing quality journalism.
The flop of "Melania" also serves as a symptom of a larger problem: Amazon's prioritization of business interests over journalistic integrity. The recent exodus of talent from the Washington Post, including Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes and numerous columnists, has confirmed that Bezos is willing to compromise on core values in pursuit of profit.
As the media landscape continues to deteriorate, "Melania" stands as a cautionary tale about the limits of right-wing sympathy. In a world where MAGA voters are increasingly wary of anything that seems like elitist bias, it's clear that the line between quality journalism and propaganda has grown perilously thin.
. $40 million for a docu on Melania? That's like throwing money at a wall to see what sticks...and not even getting much of a response. I mean, I get it, Trumpworld might not care about the doc, but that doesn't mean Amazon and Bezos shouldn't be trying harder. The production history is sketchy too - Ratner's got some serious baggage 
. And what's with the marketing? Trying to co-opt Fox News and corporate heavy-hitters? It just looks like they're trying to buy goodwill rather than produce quality journalism. 28 million for a share of the rights fee? That's just outrageous 
. Bezos needs to answer some questions about his priorities...and fast 
.
Like I know the documentary was expensive but $40 mil is crazy!! And now it's flopping?? 
What were they thinking? 
. But still, $35 mil spent on marketing and no sold-out screenings?? That's just wild 
. I'm more concerned about that whole production history tho...all those allegations against Brett Ratner? 
What a mess! And poor Melania, getting paid $28 mil but not really doing anything to help the doc? Not cool 
. It's like, how can you trust this docu when you've got a director with all these baggage claims? 
. Can't just trust anyone or everything 
.
. They tried to paint her as this complex person but it just didn't click with me. I think people who voted for Trump are pretty set in their views and aren't easily swayed by some fancy documentary 
. And have you seen the production history of this thing? It's like, come on, Brett Ratner has some serious skeletons in his closet 
. I don't think it's surprising that the film flopped but at the same time, it is kinda revealing about Amazon's priorities - profits over quality journalism 
.
or maybe they just dont care about her story anymore. and oh man the production history of this thing is riddled with drama 
like whats up with brett ratner's sexual harassment allegations? shouldn't that have been a major red flag? anyway i think its safe to say amazon learned a valuable lesson: if you wanna make a doc thats gonna resonate with maga voters, you gotta be careful what you pay for 
and it shows the marketing was super weird too like who pays 40 million dollars for a movie that nobody wants to see 
its clear amazon is just trying to get good vibes with trumpworld but newsflash melania ur not exactly the most relatable person