Has the Melania Trump movie been banned? Update on Amazon’s $75m documentary

This weekend is set to see the release of Amazon’s Melania Trump documentary. From new reports about disgraced director Brett Ratner to Amazon MGM Studios’ $75 million costs, the movie has been mired in controversy, but has it also been banned? 

The new documentary, simply titled Melania, is set to follow the first lady of the US in the 20 days before her husband Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration. Melania signed on as executive producer shortly after the 2024 election, citing the positive reception to her memoir. 

Amazon paid $40 million to license the film – the highest amount ever for a documentary – announcing in 2025 that the disgraced Rush Hour filmmaker Brett Ratner was on directing duties. 

Filming kicked off in December 2024, months of which took place at Mar-a-Lago. Since then, the tech giant has shelled out a reported $35 million to promote the new movie, but controversy has unfolded behind the scenes.

Is the Melania Trump documentary banned?

No, the rollout of Melania is still going ahead, with a release date set for January 30, 2026. Confusion seems to have stemmed from the fact that it’s been withdrawn from cinemas in South Africa. 

The documentary was scheduled for release across South African cinemas through local distributor Filmfinity, having passed the classification and regulatory approval processes. 

Melania was set to play in major chains within the country, including Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro, as well as independent venues such as Cape Town’s Labia Theatre. However, the documentary has since been withdrawn. 

Thobashan Govindarajulu, the head of sales and marketing for Filmfinity, confirmed the news to the New York Times, stating, “Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in the territory… That was our decision.”

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Although officials haven’t given a reason why, a report from MeidasTouch News suggests that “concerns were raised directly with Filmfinity and participating cinemas” about how it would be received “in the current global political climate.”

The film arrives shortly after the killing of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti, the second citizen to be killed by federal Border Patrol agents this month following Renee Good.

Amid the US’s immigration enforcement measures and debates surrounding state power, the objections were said to be less about censorship and more about how the film “could reasonably be presented as neutral entertainment without additional contextual framing.”

Sources close to the project emphasized to the outlet that its withdrawal is a distribution choice. MTN noted that the documentary has not been banned and is still accessible through other channels outside the country.

The insiders also suggested further scrutiny was placed on Melania due to the film’s director, Brett Ratner. 

Brett Ratner controversy explained

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Ratner’s career saw him direct the Rush Hour movie series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, and X-Men: The Last Stand. He’s also served as executive producer on titles such as The Revenant and Prison Break. 

But in 2017, amid the #MeToo movement, six women came forward with allegations of sexual assault and harrassment against Ratner, leading to his business deals and upcoming projects being cancelled. 

Although he was never formally charged, he had a string of allegations against him. More recently, the Epstein files revealed a photograph showing Ratner with the late model agent and Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel.

Melania is his first major project since the accusations came out, and numerous employees, who chose to remain anonymous, came forward this week to complain about Ratner’s behavior. 

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Speaking to Rolling Stone, a member of the production team said, “I feel a little bit uncomfortable with the propaganda element of this. But Brett Ratner was the worst part of working on this project.”

It’s worth noting one source has predicted that around two thirds of the crew members who worked on the documentary in New York have requested to have their names left out of the credits. 

Another person who will be credited wishes they had the foresight to do the same, stating, “I’m much more alarmed now than I was a year ago.”

The insider who described Ratner as the worst part about the job said they didn’t find out he was directing until days before shooting began. Another stated, “There was more talk about Brett being slimy than there was about Melania.”

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Production staff recalled the filmmaker leaving a trail of trash everywhere he went. And while they had to work long days without a break for meals, it was allegedly a different story for Ratner. 

“He did actually chew a piece of gum and throw it in a coffee cup on my cart, [but] didn’t acknowledge my existence for even one nanosecond,” said one. 

Another told the outlet, “Brett, unknowingly or maliciously, got his own food, went up there, was just eating it and just licking his fingers in grubbiest way possible, either being a d*ck or [having] no awareness whatsoever to the fact that everybody else is working and no one’s eating.”

One crew member did share praise for Ratner, stating, “He’s an intuitive, incredible, emotional, intelligent director, and you will see that on the screen.” But his past is one of many reasons Melania has been facing scrutiny in recent months. 

Early ticket sales paint a mixed picture for Melania movie

Pre-ticket sales for the upcoming movie vary significantly. Earlier this week, Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social channel claiming, “MELANIA, the Movie, is a MUST WATCH. Get your tickets today – Selling out, FAST!”

But as the theatrical release looms – January 30 in the US and elsewhere (it’s set to release on an unspecified later date on Prime Video) – the ticket sales have come into doubt. 

Tim Richards, the chief executive of UK cinema chain Vue, told the Guardian that sales have been “soft”. Earlier this week, only one ticket had been sold for the 3.10pm screening on Friday (January 30) at its flagship London branch, while only two had been booked for 6pm. 

The outlet went on to say that at the time of writing, all seats remained available for the 28 screenings of Melania at the Blackburn, Castleford, and Hamilton venues.

Over in the US, netizens have been sharing screenshots of empty theaters across the country in the busiest chains, from AMC’s Boston Common to a major Jacksonville, Florida Cinemark.

Wide open at AMC Boston Common

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As of Thursday, the day before its release, ticket sales still appear to be low. The 7.45pm showing at AMC Empire 25 in New York has sold 11 seats out of nearly 100. Similarly, Cinemark Orlando and XD has sold 11 seats out of 66 for the same day at 4.20pm.

These figures will vary depending on the location and time, but multiple reports and findings show that the Melania tickets are not sold out. 

Box office projections also vary widely, with some predicting it will pull in $1 million in its opening weekend, making it one of the lowest wide release openings ever. However, others are predicting a $5 million debut, which would match the highest grossing documentary of 2024, Am I Racist?

That said, with an estimated $75 million cost, theatrical box office alone is unlikely to be the sole measure of the documentary’s success, and the picture will become clearer in the coming days.

In the meantime, check out everything coming up with our 2026 movies release calendar.