"Melania" Documentary Opens Strong Amidst Political Wrangling and Funding Disputes
A documentary film about former First Lady Melania Trump, titled "Melania," debuted with a better-than-expected $7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates released Sunday, despite some criticism. The film's release coincided with President Donald Trump facing legal threats and political challenges on multiple fronts.
Amazon MGM Studios acquired the rights to "Melania" for $40 million and invested an additional $35 million in marketing, making it the most expensive documentary ever produced, according to CBS News. Directed by Brett Ratner, who had been largely absent from Hollywood since 2017, the film opened in 1,778 theaters during what CBS News described as Mr. Trump's "turbulent second term." While the box office result might be considered a disappointment for most films with such a high budget, it was considered a success for a documentary. CBS News reported that it was the best opening weekend for a documentary, excluding concert films, in 14 years.
Meanwhile, President Trump was considering legal action against author Michael Wolff and the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, Fox News reported. Trump insisted that newly released Epstein-related files cleared him of any wrongdoing. "It looked like this guy, Wolff, was a writer, was conspiring with Epstein to do harm to me," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during a flight to Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, according to Fox News. The Justice Department released over 3 million Epstein-related records and personal emails on Friday.
In Utah, prosecutors and a coalition of media organizations were opposing attempts by Tyler Robinson's defense to keep court filings sealed in the case of the alleged assassination attempt on Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Fox News reported. Prosecutors argued that the defense had not justified the need for secrecy or explained how the public release of the filings would violate Robinson's right to a fair trial.
On Capitol Hill, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., of holding the U.S. economy "hostage" for opposing President Trump's pick to chair the Federal Reserve until the administration ends its probe of current Fed Chair Jerome Powell, according to Fox News. "I certainly don't think a United States sitting senator should be holding the entire country and our economy hostage over the fact that he has some political disagreements with an investigation that the Department of Justice is overseeing," Leavitt said, as reported by Fox News.
Furthermore, a pair of Senate Republicans, Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, were urging House Republicans to reject the Senate-passed funding package unless it included Homeland Security funding and election integrity legislation, Fox News reported. They argued that the package, which includes bills to fund five agencies, including the Pentagon, needed to be amended, as a partial government shutdown continued.
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