Despite producing one of the year’s biggest critical and commercial flops, Amazon is fast-tracking the next phase of its Melania Trump project rather than shelving it.

The streaming giant has confirmed a companion series is in development after Melania grossed just $US16.7 million ($25.6 million) worldwide against a reported $US75 million ($115 million) budget and earned a dismal 7 per cent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios boss Mike Hopkins first confirmed plans for the project in June, telling Variety’s Strictly Business podcast the company would “have another bite at the apple” later this year.

Speaking to Real America’s Voice, producer Mark Beckman revealed the series would go well beyond the documentary’s focus on the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s return to the White House and promised a “full new experience” for viewers.

“We open the window a little bit into her private life, her marriage, her family,” Beckman said. “We open a little deeper into her career, as well as her philanthropy.”

It remains unclear whether Brett Ratner will return to direct the series. The filmmaker is also developing a new Rush Hour film, following Trump’s public encouragement for him to revive the franchise.

The decision to continue the first lady’s story comes just months after the original documentary was savaged by reviewers following its January release.

One of the most criticised releases of the year so far, The Hollywood Reporter described Melania as a film that “fawns so lavishly over its subject”, while BuzzFeed said it would rather relive a kitchen infestation of insects than watch the film again and Vanity Fair dismissed it as “a work of propaganda”.

The Trumps joined VIPs walking a charcoal-coloured runway for the premiere of Melania. Photo: Sipa

The Guardian‘s Xan Brooks was even more harsh, describing it as dispiriting, deadly and unrevealing. “It’s one of those rare, unicorn films that doesn’t have a single redeeming quality,” Brooks wrote. “I’m not even sure it qualifies as a documentary, exactly, so much as an elaborate piece of designer taxidermy, horribly overpriced and ice-cold to the touch and proffered like a medieval tribute to placate the greedy king on his throne.”

Despite the backlash, the project has had some high-profile defenders. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has described the project as “a very wise business decision”. That investment reportedly included a $US10.7 million licensing payment to the President.

Trump, meanwhile, has continued to champion the project, claiming Melania: Twenty Days to History was the “number one movie of the year” during a speech in Las Vegas.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day grossed over $1.155 billion worldwide within its first week of release on July 31, making it the highest-grossing film of 2026 so far.

His claim is at odds with publicly available box office figures. While Melania has grossed about $US16.7 million worldwide, the year’s highest-grossing film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, has earned more than $US1 billion globally.

The Melania companion series is expected to premiere exclusively on Prime Video later this year.