Amazon & Friends Roll Out International Red Carpet For ‘Melania’ Doc But Does Anyone Want To See It?
What’s the conservative equivalent of ‘go woke, go broke’? ‘Go Trump, go turkey’?
That seems to be the message coming out of international when it comes to the Melania documentary that Amazon MGM reportedly spent an eye-watering and record $40M to license and $35M to market.
Multiple international distribution and exhibition sources we’ve spoken to have told us that pre-sales for the film look “soft” in their territory. That was also the word from Vue CEO Tim Richards earlier this week when he spoke to The Telegraph.
In the U.S., the film is tracking for an opening between $1-5M from 1,500 screens. A glimpse into the UK market is even less forgiving. We’re told the film is booked in 160 total UK & Irish sites for the coming week, a large number for a documentary. UK insiders told us yesterday the film had pre-sold around 2,400 tickets ahead of launch, but across a whopping 2,200+ screenings. That equates to only 1.1 tickets per screening. So far, it has taken less than 0.75% of available UK seats this weekend, meaning it is on course to perform around the same as the re-release of 2012 animated film Room On The Broomwhich is a regular at UK cinema clubs aimed at toddlers. Shear Entertainment is handling the UK bookings but declined to comment.
From Australia came a report that only one ticket had been pre-sold this week across Hoyts’ 12 cinemas. In South Africa, the film was removed from circulation altogether, seemingly on political grounds. Meanwhile, social media users overseas have been replicating the U.S. trend of posting images of empty movie theaters. The below comes from Germany.
I had a look at my local Vue cinema in London on Saturday night. West London cinemagoers seemingly didn’t get Trump’s memo that tickets are selling fast.
Despite all the indicators pointing to apathy, Amazon hasn’t held back. The streamer is marketing the film via massive billboards and LED screens in a host of international cities, including Mexico City, Tokyo, London and Madrid. We’ve also seen big outdoor marketing in Italy and the Middle East. FilmNation has handled international sales for the streamer, tapping into its local theatrical contacts in around 20 markets. The company declined to comment for this piece.
Melania advertising in London
Melania billboard in Italy
Melania billboard in Madrid
Melania billboard in Dubai
Why has this amount of money been spent by Amazon? Former Amazon exec Ted Hope had a theory shared by many when he told the New York Times this week: “How can it not be equated with currying favor or an outright bribe? How can that not be the case?” We know from sources that powerful studio owners have in the past leant on their film departments to promote certain movies. But this is seemingly on another level.
Huge money has been thrown at the film, but there’s been little transparency. There were no preview screenings for critics and press weren’t even allowed into the film’s U.S. premiere last night, where Republican politicians were trotted out on the red carpet, shifting the event’s focus from art to politics. Meanwhile, we hear Amazon is unlikely to report international box office numbers for the film. Amazon declined to comment for this piece.
Film companies are normally only too happy to speak to journalists ahead of a film’s release. The opposite has been true for Melania. International theatrical partners we’ve reached out to have been sheepish about their involvement. Admittedly, Melania isn’t their film to discuss, but it’s clear the movie is seen as toxic PR for those involved. Not only is it made by a filmmaking pariah, Brett Ratner, who was accused by multiple women of sexual assault — allegations he denies — but it comes at a time when Americans are being killed by the government’s immigration agency, ICE, and Amazon is slashing thousands of in-house jobs while taking an axe to the Washington Post.
Vue CEO Tim Richards, one of the few international exhibitors to go on record about the film, told the Telegraph he had received a considerable number of emails from the public criticising Vue’s decision to screen the film. “I have told everyone that, regardless of how we feel about the movie, if it is BBFC [British Board of Film Classification] approved we look at them and 99% of the time we will show it,” he said. “We do not play judge and jury to censor movies.”
