As President Donald Trump grapples with a series of crises — rising economic concerns, threats of war with Iran and heightened tensions over his aggressive mass deportation raids — First Lady Melania Trump is going to the movies.

The documentary “Melania” details the first lady’s life in the 20 days leading up to her husband’s inauguration in January 2025, promising an up-close look at a figure known for keeping a low profile.

“Hello, Mr. President, congratulations,” Melania Trump says in a phone call with her husband in the movie’s trailer. When Trump asked her if she had seen his speech, she responded: “I haven’t, I’ll see it on the news.”

But the film hasn’t escaped the controversy surrounding Trump’s presidency. as Ultra-wealthy donors and tech executives seek to win White House favorConcerns have been raised about the film’s huge budget and the huge fee for Melania Trump herself, who serves as executive producer.

Here’s what you need to know about this documentary:

What is this movie about?

The 104-minute documentary follows the life of Melania Trump, the Slovenian-American first lady, nearly three weeks before her husband’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. Amazon-MGM Studios, which is distributing the film, said it will give viewers an “unprecedented” look into Melania’s life.

The film’s producer, Mark Beckman, said in an interview this week that the first lady led the film’s creative direction.

“This is not a political movie at all,” Beckman said.

The film highlights her fashion choices, diplomatic activities and the actions surrounding her Secret Service protection. Viewers will also see moments that exemplify the president’s sense of humor, Beckman said.

When will this movie be released in theaters?

The film will premiere Thursday at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., which Trump has claimed control of and was named chairman.

Melania held a private screening at the White House on January 24, attended by about 70 people, including several business executives. The first lady said in a social media post that she was “humbled” and called the announcement a “historic moment.”

The film is scheduled to open on about 1,600 screens worldwide on Friday, including about 1,500 in the United States. The premiere will be broadcast simultaneously in 21 theaters across the country on Thursday, and invited guests will work together to create an atmosphere of excitement for the premiere.

What’s Melania’s budget?

Amazon-MGM Studios purchased the rights to the film for $40 million, in addition to spending $35 million on a splashy advertising campaign that included a black-and-white projection of the film’s trailer at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

That number includes a related documentary series that will be released later this year, The New York Times reported. Amazon paid about $26 million for the film, with the second-highest bid coming from Disney, and the film’s advertising budget was roughly 10 times that of other high-profile documentaries.

Beckman, a producer on the film, is overseeing the film deal with Amazon-MGM Studios and a follow-up docu-series set to be released later this year that will focus on some of Melania Trump’s priorities, including foster children.

How much did the First Lady spend making this movie?

According to Agence France-Presse, Melania serves as an executive producer on the film, which gives her significant control over editorial decisions. Melania herself will reportedly receive 70% of the total $40 million.

What are advance tickets?

Trump urged his supporters to see the film, saying tickets were “sold out fast!”

According to media outlet Puck News, the documentary is expected to earn approximately $5 million in its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, according to projections from the National Research Group (NRG).

Other figures from market research firm Boxoffice are lower, with opening weekend box office revenue expected to be between $1 and $2 million.

Neither estimate would allow the film to break even. So far, no major publications have reviewed the film, but critical reception is expected to be unimpressive.

The CEO of Vue, one of the UK’s largest cinema operators, said ticket sales have been “soft” so far, with just one premiere ticket sold at the company’s flagship store in Islington, London, on Friday, The Guardian reported.

The film and its PR campaign have drawn derision on social media, with some internet users posting screenshots showing that theaters had not sold seats for a screening of “Melania.”

How does the budget for this film compare to other documentaries?

Analysts have compared Melania to other high-profile documentaries.

On CNN, poll analyst Harry Enten pointed out that “Fahrenheit 9/11,” Michael Moore’s 2004 documentary about the U.S. invasion of Iraq, had a budget of $6 million, or just over $10 million adjusted for inflation.

Enten said the documentary brought in about $24 million in its opening weekend and about $41 million when adjusted for inflation.

“Melania, we’re not even close,” Enten added.

Am I a Racist?, a satirical documentary criticizing “woke” culture created by right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh. ” will gross approximately $4.5 million in its opening weekend in 2024. It went on to become the highest-grossing documentary of the year, with a budget of just $3 million.

“2016: Obama’s America,” another documentary by right-wing figure Dinesh D’Souza, was released in 2012 and grossed $33.5 million at the domestic box office. The film’s budget was $2.5 million, which works out to about $3.5 million in inflation-adjusted dollars.

Who is the director of “Melania”?

Filmmaker Brett Ratner, best known for the “Rush Hour” films, directed the film.

His involvement marks an unexpected return to filmmaking after a series of sexual assault allegations in 2017 largely derailed his career. Ratner has denied the accusations.

Beckman, who is also Melania Trump’s adviser and agent, told the Los Angeles Times that Ratner is “one of the most talented directors in our lifetime” who “not only knows how to create something gorgeous, but how to inspire passion and emotion in an audience.”

Ratner, 56, will also direct the fourth “Rush Hour” movie for Paramount Pictures, which received approval from the Trump administration to merge with Skydance Media in July.

“He’s extremely talented,” Melania Trump told Fox. “He’s the best and it’s great to work with him.”

Ratner serves as producer along with First Lady Beckman and Fernando Sulichin of New Element Media. Filming begins in December 2024.

The merger puts David Ellison, the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, a close Trump ally, in charge of operations. Trump reportedly urged Ellison to reboot the “Rush Hour” franchise.

Why is “Melania” so controversial?

The documentary’s high sales price compared to relatively modest box office expectations has led many to speculate that the film was purchased at a high price to win favor with the Trump administration.

Trump’s second term is already under scrutiny for his close ties with powerful donors and companies, which have poured money into Trump’s lavish inaugural fund, his push to build a ballroom at the White House and a host of cryptocurrency assets tied to Trump and his family.

A Bloomberg analysis found the family’s income is about $1.4 billion Crypto business In his first year back in office, Trump took a softer approach to the industry and dropped lawsuits and investigations into alleged wrongdoing by high-profile donors.

Against this backdrop, some viewed the documentary as a high-priced donation to a president known for his individualistic approach to wielding power.

In South Africa, by contrast, the country’s major cinemas have withdrawn the documentary from distributors, citing “the current climate”, local media reported, without elaborating.

The South African government has strained relations with the Trump administration, which has repeatedly accused Pretoria of being behind “white genocide” against the Afrikaner community.

Still, Ted Hope, who worked at Amazon from 2015 to 2020 and played a central role in launching the company’s film division, told The New York Times that Amazon’s purchase of the film “is tantamount to flattery.”

“This has to be the most expensive documentary ever made that didn’t involve licensing music,” Hope said. “How could this not amount to flattery or outright bribery?”