Melania Trump earned $10.71 million from Amazon documentary despite $16 million box office haul as Jeff Bezos faces ‘buying influence’ claims

Melania Trump earned $10.71 million from the Amazon MGM documentary about her, even though the film struggled commercially and generated only about $16 million in ticket sales, according to newly released financial disclosures from President Donald Trump. The disclosure offers a closer look at the US first lady's earnings, showing that the documentary was only one of several sources of income for Melania Trump.

Her memoir and digital collectibles also generated significant sums, putting her reported earnings from the three ventures at more than $17 million.

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Melania Trump's Amazon documentary earned her $10.71 million

The financial disclosure shows that Melania Trump earned $10.71 million from the documentary, which was produced by Amazon MGM and carries the first lady's name. The figure stands out because the film reportedly had a $75 million production and promotional budget but brought in only around $16 million in box office sales.

The documentary also struggled to attract audiences in several international markets. In South Africa, the movie was withdrawn from cinemas but despite the weak theatrical performance, the financial disclosure shows that the project proved highly lucrative for Melania Trump personally.

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Melania Trump also made money from her memoir

The Amazon documentary wasn't the only major source of income revealed in the filing. Melania Trump's memoir brought in approximately $521,000, according to the disclosure.

The memoir was released in October 2024, just one month before the presidential election. That book added another substantial stream of income for the first lady alongside her documentary earnings.

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Her NFTs and digital collectibles generated more than $6 million

The financial disclosure also reveals that Melania Trump earned just over $6 million from NFTs and other digital collectibles.

Taken together, the reported figures show that the first lady earned more than $17 million from the documentary, memoir and digital assets.

The breakdown is:

• Amazon documentary: $10.71 million
• Memoir: About $521,000
• NFTs and digital collectibles: Just over $6 million

The numbers provide a rare look at the range of business and media ventures associated with Melania Trump.

Melania Trump's documentary struggled with critics

The documentary's financial performance was not the only area where it faced difficulties. Critics were largely negative about the film, which received just a 10% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 61 critics' reviews.

The Daily Beast's Kevin Fallon was particularly harsh in his assessment, describing it as: "a level of insipid propaganda that almost resists review; it's so expected and utterly pointless."

The weak critical response came alongside low audience turnout in several markets.

Amazon faced questions over the documentary

The film's connection to the Trump family also led to political scrutiny in Washington.

Several members of Congress wrote to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, questioning the company's decision to produce the documentary.

Lawmakers raised questions about whether the project was a “box office gamble or bribe” and whether it could represent a “pay-to-play arrangement” involving the Trump administration.

The questions focused on Amazon's relationship with the Trump family and whether the documentary could have been intended to curry favor with the administration.

Donald Trump was asked about Jeff Bezos and the film

At the documentary's premiere in January, President Donald Trump was asked whether Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was “trying to get in good with you.”

He was also asked about Americans describing the deal as “corporate corruption.” Trump responded: "No, I don't know, I mean, I don't know really, I'm not involved in that. That was done with my wife."

Bezos has also rejected suggestions that the documentary was intended to influence the Trump administration.

Jeff Bezos denies the documentary was about influence

Bezos addressed the allegations during an appearance on CNBC, saying the claims were incorrect. "We have denied it. Melania's office has denied it. It's not true. I had nothing to do with that," he said.

Bezos was accused of “buying influence” through the documentary, but he rejected the allegation. At the same time, he acknowledged why some people might draw that conclusion.

"I can see why people say this."

The comments came as Amazon faced growing scrutiny over its relationship with the Trump family.

Melania Trump's earnings put the spotlight on Amazon relationship

The newly disclosed figures have renewed attention on the financial relationship between Melania Trump and Amazon.

Her $10.71 million earnings from the documentary are particularly striking given the movie's relatively weak theatrical performance and its reported $75 million production and promotional cost.

While the film earned only around $16 million at the box office, the first lady's reported compensation from the project was substantially higher than the movie's overall theatrical return.

For Melania Trump, however, the documentary was just one part of a broader collection of income sources that also included her memoir and digital collectibles.

The disclosures offer a glimpse into how the first lady's personal brand continues to generate substantial revenue beyond the White House.