An entertainment expert dismissed the multi-billion-dollar Melania Trump documentary as a "farce" hours ahead of its release.
President Donald Trump joined the first lady Thursday evening at the rebranded Trump Kennedy Center for the Amazon MGM Studios film's premier, but journalist Segun Oduolowu told "CNN This Morning" that early indications suggest "Melania" could be a commercial and critical flop.
"Themoney is what you have tofollow," he said. "Pocketing $27 millionfor a documentary is unheard ofhere in Hollywood. It was boughtfor $40 million, also a recordnumber. Usually documentariessell for $250,000 to $750,000. Big-budget screen scripts sometimesgo for as high as $5 million."
While most documentaries don't have such a high-profile subject, Oduolowu agreed, the first lady's position makes the amount Amazon MGM paid suspect.
"The word you use is correct,unusual, and it screams payoffbecause Jeff Bezos and Amazonpaid $40 million for this, $35million was spent in advertisingfor a movie projected to bringback $1 [million] to $2 million in itsopening week," Oduolowu said. "No one in Hollywood does that kind ofmath."
Social media users have been posting evidence that few tickets have been sold online, and Oduolowu said he expected a brutal reception from audiences and critics.
"Well, it's not going to makemoney," he said, but then added a caveat. "Well, it's already mademoney. It made money for thepeople that are involved. Itmade money for Melania $27million or $28 million. She'swalking away very happy. But no,it won't generate money at thebox office, and I don't thinkit was ever intended to."
"It'sgoing to stream on Amazon, wherethe propaganda machine can keepit going, because when we thinkabout the premise of this, it'sshe's not in the White House," Oduolowu said. "It's the lead-up to going backto the White House, and even Amazon sells it as her movingher family back into the White House. What family? Barron Trump is asophomore in college. He's noteven moving back to the White House. So it's just Melania and Donald. That is the big revealthat they're going back towhere they've already been.What is she, packing boxes? It'sa farce."