As a little girl in Slovenia, I had the same dreams as any child: to immigrate to America on a bogus "genius visa," to model acrylic sweaters in a catalogue, and to meet a rich man almost twice my age and enter into a financially advantageous marriage with as little physical contact as possible. I'd have my Barbie doll flirt with a small boulder, asking the boulder, "So, you're separated?" People would warn me, "Dreams don't always come true," to which I'd reply,
In 2019, Carroll alleged that Trump had sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s; Trump promptly denied the allegation while deriding Carroll at rallies and in TV interviews as "totally lying" and "not my type." Ask E. Jean follows Carroll as she prepares for the trial, revealing why she buried what had happened for so long; it captures, too, her profound discomfort while she's badgered during depositions by Trump's legal team, and her eventual victory.
The organization was highly impressive because, on Inauguration Day, we had something like twelve crews all around town. Once they were set in position, they could not move. I was the person in the White House. I was waiting for the President and Melania to come back at the end of the day. It was kind of interesting. How else do you have the occasion to see the center of power?
Amazon paid $40 million to acquire "Melania" and is reportedly spending $35 million to promote it. So even though the documentary is outperforming pre-release estimates predicting a $3 to $5 million opening weekend, it's unlikely to make a profit in theaters. Amazon's bid came in $26 million ahead of the next highest bidder, Disney, leading critics to suggest the deal had less to do with the film's box office potential and more with winning over the Trump administration.
After a better-than-expected opening weekend in theaters, box office for Amazon's "Melania" fell 67%, to $2.37 million, in its second weekend. The documentary about First Melania Trump has grossed a total of $13.5 million so far (almost all of that in the United States), which means it's extremely unlikely the film - which Amazon spent $40 million to acquire and $35 million to market - will break even in theaters.
Vibes-wise, the event was classic Trump 2.0-chic. Guests were handed monogrammed buckets of popcorn, framed screening tickets for their trophy shelves, and a limited-edition copy of Trump's 2024 book of the same title as her documentary, "Melania. " Prior to the screening, the black-tie guests were greeted by a taxpayer-funded military band that playing famous movie themes, as well as "Melania's Waltz," featured in the documentary and composed by Hollywood's Tony Neiman.
Mr. President, Amazon paid $75 million to make and market this film. It's an exorbitant fee. Many Americans think that this is maybe Jeff Bezos trying to get in good with you, and they would call it an act of corporate corruption. Who are you with? The New York Times. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: (SCOFFS) The New York Times! The fake news New York Times! No, I don't know, I mean, I don't know really, I'm not involved in that.
