A Melania Trump documentary which is forecasted to lose $70,000,000 (£50,000,000) has been met with a catastrophic lack of interest.
The documentary, simply called Melania, focuses on her preparations to transition to become the First Lady once again in 2025.
Prime Video acquired the doc for $40,000,000 and is spending a further $35,000,000 to promote it, making it the second most expensive documentary ever made – though factoring in the marketing budget makes it the most expensive ever.
Jimmy Kimmel slammed the doc as a ‘$75,000,000 bribe’ and suggested that he refuses to believe Trump has seen it, adding: “My guess is he saw the first eight minutes and fell asleep in his popcorn bucket.”
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The doc has been debuting in cinemas worldwide however has been met with a response less than the Trumps would likely have expected, with Vue admitting that their flagship cinema in London had only sold one single ticket.
Now though the film has been banned in South Africa, with the local distributor pulling Melania from cinemas.
Thobashan Govindarajulu, the head of sales and marketing at Filmfinity, said to a local news outlet: “Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in territory.”
Whilst they did not clarify what the ‘recent developments’ were, tensions between South Africa and Trump as well as the lack of interest in the film are sure to be factors.
Trump has made factually incorrect claims that there is a ‘genocide’ in South Africa against the white population, leading to increased tensions between the country and the White House.
In November of last year Trump’s administration halted all aid to South Africa for their refusal to recognise ‘the horrific Human Right Abuses endured by Afrikaners’.
Whilst they initially said they ‘regretted misinformation’ spread by the White House, South Africa’s government eventually said it ‘does not appreciate insults from another country’.
Since last year South Africa has also been subject to potentially crippling tariffs, all contributing to a very frosty relationship between the African country and Trump.
Melania is controversial however not just for its clear links to the administration and subsequent pulling in South Africa, but for the man behind the camera as well.
The film marks the comeback of Director Brett Ratner, previously best known for X-Men: The Last Stand and Rush Hour.
Ratner was one of the directors directly named in early #MeToo allegations, with Elliot Page accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of X-Men.
Six women also accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct, leading to his banishment from Hollywood.
One specifically alleged he ‘physically forced’ them to perform oral sex on him.
He was also pictured in the Epstein Files, however Congress have been clear that being pictured in the files is not itself a sign of wrongdoing.
Melania is available to watch in cinemas now (and you shouldn’t struggle to get good seats).
Michael Slavin