Stats begins the Melania movie
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Executive summary
Filming for the documentary Melania began in December 2024, after the U.S. presidential election, and the project follows Melania Trump during the roughly 20 days leading up to the 2025 inauguration [1] [2]. The film is directed by Brett Ratner, executive-produced by Melania Trump and Fernando Sulichin, acquired by Amazon MGM, slated for a theatrical release on January 30, 2026, and has already generated business and cultural controversy tied to its financing, creative control, and personnel [3] [4] [5] [6].
1. Filming start date — the simple stat
Production on Melania officially began in December 2024, with crews shooting the period that the film intends to chronicle — the transition and intense 20 days before the 2025 presidential inauguration — a fact consistently reported across trade and mainstream outlets [1] [2] [6].
2. Who’s making it and who’s behind it
The documentary is directed by Brett Ratner and lists Melania Trump and Fernando Sulichin of New Element Media as executive producers, with Amazon MGM having acquired distribution rights and planning both a theatrical window and later Prime Video availability [1] [3] [7]. Melania has also announced a production company, Muse Films, tied to the film’s rollout and branding [3] [4] [8].
3. Release timing and runtime — the commercial facts
Amazon MGM and associated reporting note a worldwide theatrical premiere scheduled for January 30, 2026, with a listed runtime of about 104 minutes in multiple reports, and a subsequent streaming run on Prime Video after the theatrical period [3] [9] [7].
4. Scope of footage — the narrative focus
Public descriptions from studios and previews say the film concentrates on the first lady’s perspective during the narrow window of transition into the White House — the “20 days” before the inauguration — using behind-the-scenes access to meetings, family moments and inauguration preparations as its spine [2] [6] [10].
5. Business terms and dispute over valuation
Several outlets reported an unusually large licensing arrangement for the documentary — valuations in reporting reached roughly $40 million — a number circulated in coverage, though sources close to the production have pushed back on simplified accounts of the bidding process and Amazon’s role [6] [10] [11].
6. Political and cultural flashpoints around the production
The project is not merely a film: it sits at the intersection of politics, image-making and commerce. Critics and commentators immediately flagged the self-produced nature of the portrait and the decision to hire Brett Ratner — a director whose career was interrupted by allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017 — as potential reputational flashpoints [1] [4] [11]. Supporters argue the film offers a controlled, intimate portrayal; detractors see a curated product meant to shape legacy and public perception [10] [5].
7. Early reactions and tone set by trailers
Trailers released in December 2025 portray Melania Trump as assertive and in control, and media reactions range from noting a polished, cinematic aesthetic to scorn and satire online; reviewers and social commentators question how candid the movie will be about controversial episodes in the couple’s past or how much it will function as a promotional artifact [5] [11] [12].
8. What reporting does not (yet) show
Contemporaneous reporting establishes the start date and many commercial details, but available coverage does not provide complete information about the film’s final editorial control, the contents of all negotiated rights, the full breakdown of financial terms beyond reported valuations, or comprehensive responses from all parties involved in the bidding and distribution processes; those gaps remain in public reporting [10] [6].