Democratic lawmakers led by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Hank Johnson launched an investigation into Amazon MGM Studios over its $75 million total financial commitment—comprising a $40 million acquisition cost and $35 million marketing budget—for the documentary Melania, questioning whether the deal constitutes a corrupt pay-to-play bribe.
Acquisition Cost: Amazon MGM Studios paid $40 million for the self-titled documentary, outbidding competitors like Disney by roughly $26 million.
Payout to Melania Trump: An estimated 70% of the purchase price (about $28 million) went directly to Melania Trump's production company.
Marketing Budget: An additional $35 million was allocated for promotion, far exceeding typical budgets for high-end feature documentaries.
Box Office Return: The film grossed $16.6 million globally during its theatrical run, falling far short of recouping Amazon's investment