‘Melania’ Was Doomed from the Start (And It May Not Matter)

No company in its right mind would funnel $40 million into a politically divisive documentary, right?

Right?

Amazon did just that, buying the upcoming “Melania” documentary for that princely sum last year. The film hits theaters Jan. 30, but media reports are crowing that the film won’t make a fraction of its money back.

A fraction of a fraction, to be more accurate.

From Yahoo!:

Despite a massive $40 million acquisition deal by Amazon, MGM Studios, and a promotional blitz from the White House, early box office tracking indicates that ticket sales are sluggish at best.

Reports circulating this week suggest that advance bookings in key markets like New York and even the Trumps’ home turf of Palm Beach are “virtually non existent.”

Other outlets have shared those daunting reports.

Numbers don’t lie. Nor does the reality tied to 98 percent of documentary features. They generally don’t make money in theaters. Some exceptions?

• “Am I Racist?” (2024) – $10 million U.S.
• “An Inconvenient Truth” (2006) – $24 million
• “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (2018) – $22 million

The rest? Most documentaries are lucky to leg out a $1 million theatrical run. Many make much less.

So why would Amazon pour millions into a documentary on the current First Lady?

• Curry favor with the Trump White House?
• Catch the zeitgeist – We know little about FLOTUS?
• Give Prime Video an exclusive title that will draw attention to its service?

The reasons why may not matter in the long run. The bigger impact is clear.

RELATED: KIMMEL, BORAT SEXUALIZE MELANIA TRUMP

Conservatives are making slow but steady inroads into pop culture. A few more major stars, like Sylvester Stallone and Zachary Levi, have dared to publicly support President Trump.

And they still have their careers intact.

The Daily Wire’s “The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin” is drawing strong reviews on social media. The 7-part saga looks like it came from any streaming service, not a conservative news platform dipping its toe in the Hollywood waters.

Former Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing is teasing a new production company in the near future with more right-minded stories.

Liberal Hollywood is bleeding film and TV productions, while the latter is blossoming in places like Nashville and Dallas. Right-friendly storyteller Taylor Sheridan is the unofficial king of TV dramas, with hits like “Landman” and “Yellowstone” to his credit.

And, most importantly, the obviously pro-Trump “Melania” will exist on Prime Video indefinitely. That’s a win for Right-leaning voters.

New @PuckNews: After paying $40M for the right to release MELANIA, Amazon is now spending more than $35M more to market the film, an extraordinary sum for a documentary. Details ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/hiLmQg9r1K

— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) January 23, 2026

Even the biggest progressive film flops, think “Truth” with Robert Redford, live on via streaming services. Whatever messages are embedded within will be seen by new viewers month by month, year by year.

No filter. No fact checking. Just a small but steady stream of exposure to a particular message.

The Left has virtually owned this kind of media domination for some time. Think “Snowpiercer,” a sci-fi thriller with extreme class warfare narratives. “Barbie’s” feminist posturing is alive and well on HBO Max. The uber-woke “Booksmart” thrives on MovieSphere+ even though it disappointed in movie theaters.

The list is endless.

Studios are willing to sink millions into major film and TV productions, in part, to get their message to the masses. Sure, they’d prefer the titles make money, too.

If not, so what? They’re changing the culture bit by bit either way. And “Melania” might just do the same.