Amazon Releases Trailer for Documentary 'Melania' Costing $590 Million... Set to Premiere in January Next Year

The first trailer for a documentary film spotlighting Melania Trump, the spouse of U.S. President Donald Trump, was officially released on December 17 (local time). Behind the glamorous scale lies the controversy of the return of Hollywood's 'problematic director'.

Amazon's streaming platform Prime Video has released the trailer for the documentary 〈Melania〉 which was produced with a licensing cost of $40 million (approximately 59 billion won). This work closely follows Melania Trump's daily life over a 20-day period leading up to President Trump's inauguration earlier this year.

The approximately one-minute trailer begins with Melania Trump, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, entering the event venue with a military aide, smiling at the camera and saying, "Here we go again"(Here we go again).

During a rehearsal for the inauguration speech, when President-elect Trump reads the line, "My greatest legacy is my achievements as a peacemaker," Melania immediately adds, "Peacemaker and unifier(unifier)." The trailer also includes the caption, 'Witness history in the making'(Witness history in the making), revealing the release date of January 30, 2026.

The New York Times rated the scene where Melania Trump talks on the phone with her husband at Trump Tower in New York as the highlight of the trailer. When Melania congratulates President Trump by saying, "Hello, Mr. President. Congratulations," he asks, "Did you see that?" to which she replies, "I didn't see it. I'll watch it on the news," making the conversation impressive.

The appearance of their son Barron Trump (19), now a college student, also takes a significant portion of the trailer. It symbolically shows how Melania, who focused mainly on raising their son during Trump's first term in the White House, can now expand her activities into a broader realm.

The New York Times analyzed that in this trailer, Melania is depicted as confident and proactive, directly offering her opinions on her husband's speeches and dress designs.

With the release of the trailer, Melania stated through Fox News, "The history began to move during the 20 days of my life before the presidential inauguration," and invited global audiences to theaters to witness the private and unfiltered moments that unfolded in her amazing journey of becoming the First Lady of the United States.

Meanwhile, this work carries controversy as it marks the comeback of director Brett Ratner, who was ousted from the film industry due to the #MeToo movement in 2017. Ratner was effectively expelled from Hollywood after being accused of sexual misconduct by six women, including actresses Natasha Henstridge and Olivia Munn. With the direction of 〈Melania〉, he has recently taken the megaphone for 〈Rush Hour 4〉.