A documentary about US First Lady Melania Trump has had the best start among documentaries in a decade, earning $7 million in its opening weekend in the US, beating analysts’ expectations. But despite the box office, the project could be a financial failure for Amazon’s platform.
The main audience was residents of conservative southern states, including Texas and Florida. More than half of the tickets were purchased in rural areas, where Republicans traditionally support them.
The film cost $40 million to produce, with another $35 million spent on a large-scale advertising campaign. Critics accuse the corporation of trying to “buy” the White House’s favor through this expensive media product. The fact that Amazon spent huge sums on PR for the first lady after laying off 16,000 employees has caused particular outrage.
Donald Trump told the press that he was not involved in the negotiations over the film’s price. Melania herself noted that she chose Amazon because of their willingness to provide worldwide theatrical distribution.