January 30, 2026 — 11:57am
Save
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
Save this article for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.
Got it
AAA
Australian political (and fashion) junkies champing at the bit for an early look at the documentary Melania have been dealt a blow, with Friday morning screenings of the Brett Ratner-directed film suddenly disappearing from the schedule.
But hold your horses, conspiracy theorists: rather than censorship being at play, it appears that the delay is due to a simple case of poor communication.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the premiere of her documentary Melania at the renamed Trump Kennedy Centre in Washington.AP
The film, which follows the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January last year, is getting a short cinema run before dropping on the Prime Video platform. Amazon reportedly paid $US40 million for the right to distribute it (with $US28 million of that going straight to its subject), and another $US35 million to promote and market.
The tech giant paid $US26 million more for the film than Disney, its closest rival bidder, prompting some speculation that the company is attempting to curry favour with the Trump administration by paying well over the odds for what is essentially a vanity project.
Related Article
Right about now, there’s a gala screening at the recently renamed Trump Kennedy Centre (now referred to as “a national institution devoted to power and loyalty”, rather than the “centre for the performing arts” it had been known as for 50-odd years). And last weekend – just hours after the shooting of nurse Alex Pretti in Minnesota – there was a small invite-only screening at the White House at which a bevy of tech bros, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Zoom boss Eric Yuan, were among the tux-wearing invitees.
But for regular folk, the film has been strictly under wraps. So much so that not even the people screening it in Australia have been able to see it. Palace and Hoyts, which are showing the film in limited theatres in Sydney and Melbourne, had to take the title blind.
Somehow, though, the fine print went unread. Though screenings had been slated from 11am on Friday, Amazon MGM Studios had imposed a strict worldwide embargo precluding any screenings before 4pm. And that’s why those early session times suddenly disappeared.
In South Africa, the film has been pulled entirely. On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that distributor Filmfinity had announced that “based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in [that] territory”.
A promotional sign for the documentary on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.Bloomberg
The company declined to specify what those developments were, but it comes at a time when Trump has voiced spurious claims that South Africa’s white population is facing a genocide, prompting a wave of mutual diplomatic and trade hostilities between the two nations.
Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter.
Save
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
From our partners