Melania Documentary Flops as Crew Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Chaos
By: Malcolm Ferguson (The New Republic)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The first lady's documentary was a mess in production—and now it's struggling at the box office.
Melania Trump's new documentary, Melania, is looking like an opening-week box office flop—after Amazon's MGM studios paid tens of millions of dollars for the rights to it.
The documentary detailing the first lady's return to the White House is projected to make just $1 million in its first week. While documentaries generally do worse at the box office, the sheer amount of money Amazon spent—$40 million for the rights, $35 million for an aggressive marketing blitz—and the constantstream of Truth Social posts from President Trump make this a particularly pitiful showing.
Melania's early failure comes as a new report from Rolling Stonedetails serious labor issues behind the scenes and a whopping two-thirds of the film's staff requesting not to be credited at the end of the film. Director Brett Ratner, who made headlines after six women accused him of sexual assault and harassment during the #MeToo movement in 2017, was perhaps the most loathed person on set. (Actress Natasha Henstridge alleged that Ratner forced her to perform oral sex on him when she was 19, Olivia Munn claimed that Ratner masturbated in front of her, and more recently, he was pictured shirtless in the Epstein files.)
"I feel a little bit uncomfortable with the propaganda element of this," one crew member shared, "but Brett Ratner was the worst part of working on this project."
"He did actually chew a piece of gum and throw it in a coffee cup on my cart," a staff member told Rolling Stone, [but] "didn't acknowledge my existence for even one nanosecond."
Another member recalled a day when Ratner feasted on his own meal in a set space where food was not allowed, on a day when no one else on the crew got a break to eat.
"Brett, unknowingly or maliciously, got his own food, went up there, was just eating it and just licking his fingers in grubbiest way possible, either being a dick or [having] no awareness whatsoever to the fact that everybody else is working and no one's eating," a staffer said.
"Unfortunately, if [the film] does flop … I would really feel great about it," said another.
Melania herself is pocketing $28 million from the licensing sale. She and President Trump plan to attend a premiere of the documentary at the Kennedy Center on Thursday.
Tags
Who is online
101 visitors
Amazon spent 75 million dollars on a project they had to be almost sure would lose money. Something appears to stink.
The promotional ad is running out here in California. I think it is tacky. Especially the scripted words, 'You asked for it. . .here it is.' Or words to that effect. The arrogance of a publicly facing boorish woman!
As y'all know I try not to comment on first ladies or first dudes, because unless specified they come along for the ride with the President-elect. Melania's flippant attitude is reflected in how she answered in bold (above). Since she can be 'ridiculous' in requesting the public pay to see her PROFIT, I can be serious enough to say, "No thank you, Melania!"
I saw the trailer, and I need a word that means “cringe” but like times a million.
"Cringeworthy" - Credit: Alexa. Good call, Tacos!
I cant think of any reason something like this should be in a movie theater. I'm not going to spend any time thinking about it but something is rotten in the state of Trumpia.
Capitalist 'whores'? If s-it can sell on a stick. . . this group of capitalists would audaciously 'corner' the market!
Who the f would be even slightly interested? Unimaginable.