Late-night television exploded with satirical commentary this week after Amazon’s documentary about First Lady Melania Trump defied box office predictions.
The film brought in $7 million during its opening weekend—exceeding analyst expectations of $1 million to $5 million.
But Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel weren’t impressed, and they made sure their audiences knew exactly why.
Both hosts tore into the numbers, the critical reception, and Amazon’s promotional tactics with their trademark wit.
Colbert Puts the Box Office Numbers in Context
On The Late Show, Colbert wasted no time dismantling what might appear to be a successful debut.
Seven million dollars would seem like a solid opening, until you realize that’s less than 10 percent of the $75 million Amazon spent on the documentary, which includes paying the first lady herself at least $28 million.
He continued with characteristic sarcasm, adding a jab at Melania Trump’s notoriously stoic public persona.
That’s enough cash to put a smile on your face … if that were physically possible.
Colbert even featured a Melania Trump impersonator during the segment, attempting to explain the documentary’s appeal—or lack thereof.
The Rotten Tomatoes Paradox
Jimmy Kimmel took a different angle during his Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue, focusing on the film’s wildly divergent critical and audience scores.
As of tonight, Melania has a score of five percent on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics. That is very low. To put that in perspective, that is one percent lower than Gigli.
Gigli, the infamous 2003 romantic comedy starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, was once labeled “jaw-droppingly awful” by Rolling Stone.
Yet somehow, the documentary about Melania Trump managed to score even lower with professional critics.
Audience Score Raises Eyebrows
Meanwhile, audience ratings painted an entirely different picture.
The audience score is 99 percent positive, which is one percent higher than The Godfather. And I’m sure Donald J. Corleone had nothing to do with that at all.
Kimmel’s quip suggested that the stratospheric fan approval might not be entirely organic—hinting at possible coordinated efforts to inflate ratings.
Amazon’s Creative Spin on Success
Both comedians took issue with how Amazon framed the documentary’s performance.
The streaming giant touted Melania: Twenty Days to History as having the best nonmusical documentary opening in 14 years.
Kimmel wasn’t buying it.
I think [that] is a fancy way of saying it only lost tens of millions of dollars.
With production costs reportedly reaching $75 million and box office revenue sitting at just $7 million, basic math suggests Amazon is facing substantial losses on this project.
Bulk Ticket Purchases Under Scrutiny
Kimmel also raised questions about whether Republican groups might have purchased bulk tickets to artificially boost attendance figures.
He showed footage of women calling themselves “the Church Ladies,” all dressed identically, attending a screening together.
Playing on recent political controversies, Kimmel mockingly called for an investigation.
Send in Tulsi Gabbard and the FBI. Seize the ticket machines, the popcorn buckets, the box-office receipts at every multiplex in America.
Bezos Faces Backlash Over Priorities
Kimmel didn’t stop at mocking the documentary itself—he also went after Amazon owner Jeff Bezos.
The timing couldn’t be worse: Bezos recently laid off approximately one-third of The Washington Post‘s staff while simultaneously financing this expensive documentary.
The juxtaposition drew sharp criticism from Kimmel, highlighting what many see as misplaced priorities.
Journalists losing their jobs while millions flow into a poorly-reviewed vanity project didn’t sit well with audiences or the late-night host.
What the Numbers Really Mean
Breaking down the financial reality paints a sobering picture:
- Production budget: $75 million
- Payment to Melania Trump: At least $28 million
- Opening weekend revenue: $7 million
- Current recovery rate: Less than 10% of production costs
Even if ticket sales continue at this pace—which historically they don’t for documentaries after opening weekend—Amazon faces steep financial losses.
Marketing expenses, distribution costs, and theater revenue splits further reduce what Amazon actually receives from ticket sales.
Critics Versus Audiences: An Unusual Divide
The massive gap between professional critics (5%) and audience scores (99%) on Rotten Tomatoes raises legitimate questions.
Such extreme polarization rarely occurs naturally.
Most films fall somewhere in the middle, with critics and audiences generally within 20-30 percentage points of each other.
A 94-point difference suggests either a complete disconnect between professional film analysis and viewer experience—or coordinated efforts to manipulate audience ratings.
Late Night’s Role in Political Commentary
Colbert and Kimmel’s takedowns exemplify how late-night television has evolved into sharp political and cultural commentary.
Both hosts used humor to highlight uncomfortable truths about wealth, influence, and media manipulation.
Their segments went beyond simple jokes, offering substantive criticism wrapped in entertainment.
The documentary’s performance—and the response to it—reveals broader tensions about political documentaries, streaming platform priorities, and how success gets defined in modern media.
Whether Amazon’s investment pays off in subscriber engagement or brand positioning remains unclear, but one thing is certain: late-night comedians found plenty of material in the gap between hype and reality.