Jeff Bezos finally addresses Melania Trump controversy following abysmal reviews
Jeff Bezos has finally addressed the controversial Melania Trump doc after it received abysmal reviews and plenty of criticism of its direction.
Not many documentaries have flopped like that of Melania. Released in cinemas in January this year, Melania follows the First Lady during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump's second inauguration.
But, despite Trump himself insisting tickets to the movie were 'selling out fast' at the time, many reports described 'empty screenings.'
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The film ultimately grossed $16.7 million against a reported $40 million production budget. However, Amazon's decision to spend a further $35 million on a promotional campaign added salt to the financial wound.
Questions quickly arose about why Amazon had funded the project at all, with many suggesting it was a calculated effort to gather favour with the Trump administration.
Separately, the film's director was found pictured next to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein which added another uncomfortable layer to the story.
Now, CEO Jeff Bezos has spoken out about the documentary.
Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box, Bezos described the suggestion that the film was greenlit to win influence with Trump as a 'falsehood that will not die.'
The Blue Origin founder explained: "We have denied it. Melania’s office has denied it. It’s not true. I had nothing to do with that."
He went on to say that the film was received well, although reviews and box office figures suggest otherwise.
“By the way, it appears it was a good business decision because it did very well in theaters, it’s done very well on streaming," Bezos added.
"People are very curious about Melania, so even though I had nothing to do with it, it appears that the Amazon team made a very wise business decision."
However, on Rotten Tomatoes, critics didn't hold back their true feelings.
"Despite a polished presentation, the film comes across as tedious, unconvincing, and ultimately a failed experiment that struggles to justify its ambition," one critic wrote.
Another labelled it an 'anti-documentary.' A third critic bluntly commented: "Melania is exactly what you think it is: a very expensive ad for the brand Melania, not so much an exploration of who Melania was, is, or wants to be."
In March, a group of Democratic lawmakers including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Georgia Representative Hank Johnson wrote to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy demanding to know whether the film represented a 'box office gamble or bribe.'
When Melania arrived on Amazon Prime Video, it landed at number seven in the top ten streaming films during its first week, drawing 230 million minutes of viewing time according to Nielsen Streaming Content Ratings.