The White House is pulling out all the stops to try to salvage Melania Trump’s documentary, which is widely predicted to bomb when it opens next weekend.
The vanity project, for which Jeff Bezos’ Amazon reportedly paid $40 million, is projected to make a measly $5 million on the weekend following its Jan. 30 release.
That is despite the studio spending an additional $35 million on marketing and opening the release to 27 different countries.
To help promote the movie, the first lady will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, ahead of the documentary’s release on Friday.
The first lady’s office announced on X that the documentary will focus on “an impactful first year of leadership as FLOTUS during the second term of the Trump Administration.”
The ringing of the bell is a long-standing tradition at the stock exchange, dating back to the late 19th century. While the stock exchange describes it as “critical to the orderly functioning of the marketplace,” many nowadays use it as a high-profile advertising tool, with celebrities or companies ringing the bell to celebrate new projects or IPOs.
Promotion for Melania’s movie also included posters for the movie that surfaced at Trump’s controversial Davos speaking engagements this week. The Washington Post reported that the U.S. delegation’s flight to Europe was filled to the brim with promotional material, including the Melania posters to prop up the movie’s advertising campaign to global elites.
The film, aptly titled Melania, follows the president’s wife for just 20 days leading up to the start of Trump’s second presidency last January. No one knows anything about the film beyond that tidbit, as Amazon has refused to allow critics to view the movie before its hyped headlining premiere at the Kennedy Center (which the president has attempted to rename the Trump-Kennedy Center, despite such a move needing congressional approval).
Trump himself has taken to X to galvanize attendance from his devoted fan base. His X post, interestingly, doesn’t mention Melania at all but sparks intrigue for a behind-the-scenes “look at one of the most important events of our time.”
The Daily Beast previously reported that, unlike most first ladies who reside in the White House, she lives at Mar-a-Lago in Florida rather than with Trump.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the movie was reportedly a completely Melania-initiated project. She brought it up over dinner with Trump’s billionaire ally and Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, and his partner, Lauren Sánchez.
The project was funded and distributed by the business mogul’s company, and Amazon execs will be required to attend the various premiere events across the country to show their support for the first lady’s media endeavor.
It’s also something she has personally overseen, according to her confidant and agent Marc Beckman. Beckman told Fox News that this feature is “not a documentary”; it’s instead “a film,” referring to Melania’s deep involvement.
The White House press release announcing her bell-ringing excursion touted the various projects Melania has been involved with during her second stint as first lady. The release mentioned the Take It Down Act, the Presidential Artificial Intelligence (AI) Challenge, and other youth-based advocacy initiatives.
The release stated that, “Over the past year, Mrs. Trump has taken action to advance a results-driven agenda that is centered on the well-being of children in the United States and around the world.”
The movie is set to open in 1,400 theaters in 27 countries and will soon be available to stream on Amazon Prime.
