Melania Trump
Melania Trump reportedly earned £8 Million for the Amazon documentary that only grossed £12.4 Million during its theatrical release Régine Mahaux, CC BY 3.0 US , via Wikimedia Commons and Melania Trump, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons/Wikimedia Commons

First Lady Melania Trump received a $10.71 million (£8 million) licensing fee for the Amazon MGM documentary, Melania, according to newly released federal financial disclosures. The figure highlights the gap between the film's significant payout to the subject and its modest $16.7 million (£12.4 million) worldwide box office performance.

The 927-page filing, published by the US Office of Government Ethics on 30 June 2026, details several revenue streams for the First Lady. In addition to the documentary licensing fee, the report lists over $6 million (£4.5 million) in proceeds from the sale of NFTs and other collectibles, and roughly $521,161 (about £390,000) in licensing revenue tied to her 2024 memoir.

Melania, produced by Amazon MGM Studios, is now available to stream on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Amazon's High-Stakes Investment

Melania is a documentary film that follows the first lady during the weeks leading up to US President Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration, with exclusive behind-the-scenes access as preparations unfolded.

Directed by Brett Ratner and produced by Fernando Sulichin, Marc Beckman, and Melania Trump, the film had an exclusive theatrical release on 30 January before debuting on Amazon's Prime Video service. It grossed more than $16.6 million (£12.4 million) in worldwide ticket sales, but the total sales ultimately remained well below Amazon's reported investment.

Even so, Amazon has considered the documentary one of the strongest theatrical documentary releases in recent years and has pointed to its streaming rollout as an important part of its distribution strategy, rather than relying solely on box-office revenue.

The documentary premiered in January at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington. It was reportedly acquired by Amazon's MGM Studios in a $40 million (approximately £30 million) deal. Amazon then invested another $35 million (roughly £26 million) in a major marketing campaign to promote the film, per People.

Financial Disclosure Reveals Additional Earnings

The documentary payment was only one of several income streams listed for the first lady in the disclosure report. The 927-page filing also showed over $6 million (roughly £4.5 million) in earnings from NFTs and collectibles tied to Melania Trump, along with over $521,000 (about £390,000) connected to licensing revenue from her self-titled 2024 memoir.

The financial filing indicated that President Trump reported billions of dollars in revenue from different business interests during the reporting period. The disclosure provides only income ranges and categories required under federal ethics rules, rather than a complete accounting of profits or expenses

Jeff Bezos Defends the Project

Amazon's commitment to the documentary has drawn attention from lawmakers and ethics observers. Earlier this year, Elizabeth Warren and Representative Hank Johnson sent a letter to Amazon requesting information about its investment, arguing that the unusually high price tag warranted further explanation.

They questioned whether the roughly $75 million (about £56 million) spent in the documentary's acquisition and promotion reflected standard business considerations, particularly since expectations were that the project would struggle to recover its costs through theatrical earnings alone.

Founder Jeff Bezos has defended the documentary, describing it as a sound commercial decision while emphasising that he was not personally involved in approving the film's acquisition. He argued that public interest in Melania Trump made the project attractive and noted that performance should be measured across both theatres and streaming instead of ticket sales alone.

As the film continues its life on streaming platforms, the debate over its financing highlights a growing focus on the intersection of political figures and large-scale media production. With the figures now in the public record, the narrative has shifted from the film's artistic reception to the financial mechanics behind its distribution.

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