NEW This Morning: "Melania" Box Office Expectations Rise Amid BRUTAL Reviews

00:00:10
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks.

00:00:10
Speaker 2: It is Saturday, January thirty first, and it is finally officially out. Millenia has hit movie theaters across the country. The reviews are in. Some of them are through the roof, others are below the belt. But it has provided us one of the greatest disparities you will ever see on Rotten Tomatoes for a movie between what the audience thinks and what's the critics think. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ.

00:00:43
Speaker 1: Roose.

00:00:43
Speaker 2: We keep an eye on We do a lot of movie stuff, horror movie stuff. We keep an eye on Rotten Tomatoes. You ever seen a discrepancy this large?

00:00:49
Speaker 3: No, that's just it period.

00:00:51
Speaker 4: Now. Ever, it's almost impossible now to have it speaks to where our country is right now, to have the critics score on Tomatoes be what it is and then have the audience score be what it is.

00:01:05
Speaker 3: It actually makes me want to see this documentary even more.

00:01:09
Speaker 4: I'm now I think we woke up this morning, we saw the reviews, and we are officially obsessed. We want to run, not walk, to the theaters to see this movie.

00:01:18
Speaker 2: We're racing out to see it actually this weekend. The only reason we aren't able to see it right now is because we're traveling. We happen to be on the roads that we're recording while we're on the road, but we are first thing Monday, when we get back, we're going to see this movie.

00:01:30
Speaker 1: Now roads, we talk.

00:01:31
Speaker 2: About the discrepancy before we even give that number. Doesn't it make if you just take a moment, it makes sense that the numbers would be this off.

00:01:40
Speaker 4: It's even yes, it does, yes, but it's even more extreme than I thought than I imagined. I was actually surprised at just how vicious these reviews are. It's not it's bad, it's boring. It these are I like, how you put it below the belt?

00:01:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so, And whatever you think about Malania read some of this stuff, you feel like nobody wants to read something this negatively about yourself. But anyway they put it out there. She wanted it out there. This is her story. Knock yourself out now, Robes. The other reason this is a big deal this morning and we're talking about it is because we didn't know anything about the movie. Because they kept critics away from any screenings. Nobody and oftentimes we even get movie screenings, but they did not allow press in to see it ahead of time, so we haven't gotten critiques until the movie hit theaters, and that's why this morning we're starting to get more and more.

00:02:35
Speaker 4: Yes, normally, before we even go see a movie, we'll look at the critics reviews, because yes, most studios will give screeners to critics, to members of the media so that they can review the movie and then drum up excitement about it. And a lot of times, if someone thinks they've got a great film on their hands, they're very eager to send this out to folks to get people to say, you know, you've got to see this movie, And certainly that makes us excited to go see something based on what critics say. So by the mere fact that they didn't give the film to critics, could say you could infer that maybe they weren't that excited or they were a little concerned about how it was going to be received. But also you could just say they don't trust the critics, They don't trust the mainstream media.

00:03:20
Speaker 3: They don't trust because they know they have an.

00:03:21
Speaker 4: Agenda against the Trump administration, and they didn't want to give them any upper hand or any opportunity to trash the film before it was released in theater.

00:03:30
Speaker 3: So I understand that as well.

00:03:32
Speaker 4: And if you look at the reviews, you can apply it to either theory.

00:03:37
Speaker 1: Yeah you can. This is something.

00:03:38
Speaker 2: Look, I've read some reviews. We're going to go through them. Some of them absolutely make some legitimate arguments. Some of them I do think are below the belt. The reason again, we didn't. It was a big premiere Thursday at the Kennedy Center in New York. But it looked like a cabinet meeting. It did not look like it was a movie premiere. Oh that was a red carpet. Yeah, celebrities. Nicki Minaj was there. Ah, I forgot, of course, Nicki Minaj was there on the red car. Push you sorry, But all the.

00:04:03
Speaker 3: Members of the cabinet were there.

00:04:05
Speaker 4: Yes, it looked like a yes, a work meeting maybe even, but yes you got Nicki Minaj.

00:04:11
Speaker 2: Okay, so we've teased it long enough. Now tell the good people and make sure you say it loud enough for the people in the back. The Rotten Tomatoes scores for the New Milania documentary just in theaters this weekend.

00:04:25
Speaker 4: Yes, so the score for the critics six percent. The score for the verified audience ninety eight percent.

00:04:36
Speaker 1: Boom, and there it is. That's amazing.

00:04:38
Speaker 4: That's about as big of a disparity as you could possibly see.

00:04:43
Speaker 2: Somebody has got it wrong, Robes. You can't have this much of a discrepancy. You can't disagree that much the two groups.

00:04:51
Speaker 1: Yes you can.

00:04:52
Speaker 2: And it makes sense that right now, it seems that the only people going to see the movie were probably Trump supporters and journalists and movie critics, so those are the only ones right now, it seems speaking so the only people who have seen it as far as the general audience or general public goes ropes that are hopping on there, we're already Trump fans. Doesn't that make sense?

00:05:13
Speaker 3: Yes it does.

00:05:15
Speaker 4: And look, it is hard to take either review, whether you're looking at the audience review or the critics review, completely seriously because it does feel like there are agendas on both sides.

00:05:29
Speaker 2: It can't have that. We haven't seen numbers this low since All's fair, which.

00:05:33
Speaker 4: Yes, so I actually looked that up because you were saying, you asked me before we jumped on to record this, have you ever seen a disparity or a discrepancy like this? And I said, the only thing that comes to mind, is all's fair? I looked it up again. By the way, we love the series for a lot of different reasons.

00:05:48
Speaker 2: But we started watching it because we read the reviews were so horrible always that we got to check this out, and we love the show.

00:05:55
Speaker 3: It's so bad. It's good in my humble opinion.

00:05:58
Speaker 4: But yes, that got six percent again from the critics, so very similar. But it got sixty five percent from the audience score. So I you know, when you ever see a big discrepancy like this, Honestly, you know what I don't like to see when the when the critics love it and the audience hates it, I don't even bother because I figure it's too artsy and hybrow for me, and that means I probably don't want to see it. But when I see a really low critics score and a really high audience score, I'm all in.

00:06:26
Speaker 2: We're all we ran to the Hulu to watch all sorts there.

00:06:30
Speaker 3: We're all in. Can't wait for the second season.

00:06:33
Speaker 2: But Milania, you've been hearing plenty plenty about it. It is a documentary. It only covers the twenty days leading up to the inauguration. So Brett Radner this controversial director. He did the Rush Hour movies, but in the past several years, almost eight to ten years, he's been caught up in a bunch of sexual abuse allegations and kind of lost his Hollywood fame. But he's coming back doing this. When it was produced by Amazon that shelled out and reported forty million dollars for this thing. Now, in terms of how movies go these days, that not the worst budget in the world, but for a documentary that is fairly unprecedented. Twenty eight million of that Robes went to her. Melania is making twenty eight million dollars off this deal.

00:07:14
Speaker 1: Reportedly. Wow, that is I did not know.

00:07:17
Speaker 4: She's gotten her business acumen from her husband. Apparently she knows how to I guess the art of the deal. She made hers and she did a very good job.

00:07:27
Speaker 2: Apparently Tucker's an hour and forty four minutes long. They did spend another thirty plus million to market this thing. So again, Robes, seventy five million dollars for a documentary is just unheard of. Even the best documentaries ever there were they might make ten million at the box office, and that's a good documentary. That's just it's kind of unheard of did premiere already on Thursday. We told you about that. It's in theaters projected. It was only projected to make. Everybody's trying to out it's gonna be a bomb, it's gonna flop. And all these reporters who are going to theaters in New York are going, Wow, nobody's in the theater.

00:08:00
Speaker 1: Stop.

00:08:01
Speaker 4: Yeah, I can't see a lot of like we probably will have the theater to ourselves in New York to go see Milania.

00:08:06
Speaker 3: It's just yes, that's expected. It's New York City.

00:08:08
Speaker 2: But that's one of the things where it seems like they were taking a cheap shot because there are other theaters in rural areas that are reportedly full yes with watching this movie. So take but robes this morning and update that the projections are up to eight to ten million.

00:08:21
Speaker 1: It's gonna make this weekend.

00:08:23
Speaker 2: If that's the case, that is a wildly successful documentary launch. Yes, it just does not happen for a documentary to be to do gangbusters in theaters. I know Fahrenheit nine to one one sounds like a big hit, but that was a long time ago.

00:08:38
Speaker 4: And you know what, Look, here's the deal. Milania is fascinating because she doesn't speak. I've even said, you know, you barely hear her voice. We saw her live on Fox News this week, which almost never happens.

00:08:50
Speaker 3: I even said, I've never heard Baron's voice.

00:08:53
Speaker 4: There is where we hear the other Trumps, all the other children, and Trump himself talking, not stop. You don't hear Malania and Baron ever. So there is a fascination with what she like. We see her. She seems perfect from head to toe, and that is we'll get into some of the criticisms, but that is some of the criticism that we still see her in this documentary, perfect from head to toe.

00:09:17
Speaker 2: And don't know a damn thing about it more than we already did. You just said something that made me think of this line from one of the reviews, Robes to your point, the fascination. She's one of the most famous people in the world. This I didn't think was mean. Quote from the Decider, the movie mistakes its subjects fame for star quality and mistakes a life of leisure for one of accomplishment and importance. Wow, now it can sound mean, but that is now. We read a lot of reviews and we go, okay, we see a theme emerging. That theme did emerge that she does want to elevate her and she is accomplished in a bunch of stuff she's done in her life, but it's elevating or trying to elevate her to a level of Princess Die by only showing her doing fittings and following her heels and doing very small, fashionable, all's fair episode type things.

00:10:22
Speaker 4: It's almost like she's wanting that iconic fashion distinction of Jackie O, like she's going after that sort of a narrative or an aesthetic. She even I believe, talks about her her mother being a pattern designer for clothing and that inspired her to be into fashion.

00:10:40
Speaker 3: And yeah, the issue is we all want.

00:10:44
Speaker 4: To learn more, We all want to know what does she think, what does she feel? How is she relatable to us, even as women to go and watch this, and that is what you don't get. And I think that's the thing. If you want, you go to want to learn more and you don't. I don't learn much. Is the criticism that I actually think probably feels fair and not mean, because I do think there is this fascination, significant interest in her and what she is really like, I'm dying to sit down and just have a take you just take a load off conversation.

00:11:17
Speaker 3: Which he seems like a martini a martini kind of Oh oh my goodness.

00:11:21
Speaker 2: Several But let's get into what they What the critics did say again will remind you we are only sharing right now, at least what the reviews are saying. We have not gone to see it ourselves. None of these opinions are ours at all. Let's start here with NPR rows. We can fly through it because there was a bunch here. Amazon's airbrushed and astronomically pricey portrait of the First Lady airbrush is a is a relevant word. That theme kind of stays throughout a lot of these reviews. Yes Variety says they had several reviews from several different people.

00:11:53
Speaker 1: That's why so many quotes in here by Oh.

00:11:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, okay, we'll go through some of the ones that really stood out. Brett Ratner's First Lady documentary is a cheeseball infomercial of staggering Inertia. Went on to say, it feels like it's been stitched together out of the most innocuous outtakes from a reality show. There's no drama to it. It should have been called Day of the Living trad Wife.

00:12:18
Speaker 2: This next one I thought was mean and what they decided to call her, I didn't like that.

00:12:22
Speaker 4: I think this is pretty mean too. Trump walks from event to event holding hands with Milania, who knows just how to comport herself as America's first arm candy. She and her husband have been together long enough now that they have matching scowls and matching frozen robot grins.

00:12:40
Speaker 1: That seems a little bit of a low blow.

00:12:42
Speaker 3: Was it is interesting.

00:12:43
Speaker 4: I saw that, and then I was looking at some of the pictures from the red carpet from the premiere on Thursday at the Kennedy Center, and they did have scowls on their faces. They're just very serious people. When it comes she is a serious She has a serious look on her face. It might be cultural. She is not a you know, she's not.

00:13:04
Speaker 2: She doesn't lose warmth just from a distance and what we see of her. So I was, I'm actually dying to see it because I was wanting to see some of that warmth seeing something behind the scenes, and from all accounts, robes every review.

00:13:16
Speaker 1: So it's just not there.

00:13:17
Speaker 4: It's like curated, and I think, you know, I think it's interesting because when you see it, when you hear documentary, and especially in these days of social media, there's so much interest in people pulling back the curtains and showing themselves without makeup, showing themselves this is how I wake up, this is me with the ZiT on my face, whatever, and so people, I think are really into people being real. And one of the things about Malania is she is just always curated. And that was the hope maybe that this documentary would let some of those curtains back, let some light in.

00:13:50
Speaker 1: And that goes with this next line.

00:13:52
Speaker 2: It never lets the air of experience in it. And this is that should tell you something. Milania, like the Trump regime, is a designed from the top down reality show that's devoted to shutting reality out.

00:14:09
Speaker 1: Goes on another line.

00:14:10
Speaker 2: If you were making a movie that parodied the current first Lady of the United States, I'm not sure what you do differently.

00:14:16
Speaker 1: That's tough.

00:14:17
Speaker 4: Wow wowow wow, The Hollywood reporter says Brett Ratner's Malania Trump documentary is an unabashed fly on the gilded wall.

00:14:26
Speaker 3: Fawn job woo.

00:14:28
Speaker 4: The rap says the rush Hour director returns with a shameful cinematic suck up masquerading as a real documentary and goes on to say.

00:14:38
Speaker 5: A tasteless, tedious, criminally shallow propaganda puff piece whoa Milania is nearly a two hours of self congratulatory torture.

00:14:50
Speaker 2: This next line was maybe insightful into their relationship, because so I am waiting to see you know what it was?

00:14:57
Speaker 1: It was Carter's funeral.

00:14:58
Speaker 2: I think was when they were kind of a little banter and they look dare I say cute for a second, at least very familiar in a way we don't. We're not used to seeing this kind of.

00:15:08
Speaker 1: Hints at it woo.

00:15:09
Speaker 4: They said this Ratner had on precedented access and yet he couldn't find a single interaction between Donald and Milania Trump where it looks like they're interested in each other.

00:15:22
Speaker 1: That's interesting.

00:15:22
Speaker 2: I think that's really really an interesting take. We'll find out for ourselves. It goes on here. The rap continues. Rapner made a film that makes Ratner look more invested in Milania Trump than her husband, which is a really weird vibe to shoot for. And then there's this critical of Ratner just his movie making saying he couldn't find the humanity in a funeral. Whoo, so this is it's harsh. USA Today new documentary offers a flattering view of Milania Trump without shedding any light on who the first lady is. Again it's look, it's a weird comparison, but we love all's fair. But there is a near there is a gloss, there is a sheene. There is a complete filter over that show start to finish.

00:16:07
Speaker 3: It's unattainable.

00:16:08
Speaker 2: It's completely curated. There's not a loose moment, nane a loose hair.

00:16:12
Speaker 3: It's so true.

00:16:13
Speaker 1: This is what I'm hearing about.

00:16:14
Speaker 2: This we'll see for ourselves, but this is consistent through these reviews.

00:16:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that last one by USA Today was not mean at all.

00:16:21
Speaker 4: That felt like a very honest assessment of what that reviewer thought. Now Business Insider, I thought this was also a really good way to put it. The best way I can describe this one is something akin to a wedding video. Maybe the subjects of the video will want to watch it. It's hard to imagine anyone else.

00:16:38
Speaker 1: Well, it's interesting analogy. I thought that was.

00:16:40
Speaker 3: I actually really appreciated that one that could relate sense.

00:16:44
Speaker 2: It makes sense to you. But stay here, folks, We've got the last few to share with you. Also gonna remind you this movie was supposed to be an absolute bomb of flop. Well right now it's doing okay at the box office.

00:16:56
Speaker 6: Stay here, all.

00:17:06
Speaker 2: Right, We continue here on Amy and TJ. We are buying tickets to see Milania as soon as we get back. Yes, we absolutely are curious about this movie now that the reviews are in. Didn't get critic reviews ahead of time because it was not critics were not allowed to see it ahead of time in any of the screeners. So it's come out this weekend. A lot of journalists went to see it, and a lot of reviews are up in robes. We always put people on the spot like this. Give me one word to describe the reviews we've seen of Milania.

00:17:38
Speaker 3: Ghastly, Jesus.

00:17:40
Speaker 2: Okay, that's better than I thought. But that is as accurate as it gets. Jesus. They are coming after this. You can tell some of them that seem a little going too far and not you know what, going beyond reviewing a movie, and it seems taking some personal shots, I mean. But then others consistently robed. It seems like have the same criticism that this woman that we don't know a lot about see every day, one of the most famous women in the world. We don't know a lot about. But finally we got a documentary and we still don't know shit.

00:18:07
Speaker 4: Yeah, the Decider you mentioned, the one about mistaking star quality for a life of leisure, this one. They also said the primary purpose of Milania is a form of public money laundering that is.

00:18:25
Speaker 3: Very vicious.

00:18:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, it is, but if you go through I mean, okay, let's put it together.

00:18:35
Speaker 1: Jeff Bezos, those Amazon.

00:18:38
Speaker 3: I was gonna I was gonna go there, but I'm glad you just did.

00:18:41
Speaker 1: Okay, it's not complicated.

00:18:42
Speaker 3: It's kissing the ring, is what they're saying.

00:18:44
Speaker 2: Yes, you know how much business Jeff Bezos has around the world that needs all kind of regulatory approval. There's this NonStop stuff we don't hear about at all. Didn't Amazon just lay off sixteen thousand folks, Yes they did, is okay, but they shelled out seventy five million. Yes, it's widely being talked about as he's just buying favor.

00:19:09
Speaker 4: Okay, and this happens, this has been happening in the world since the beginning of time.

00:19:15
Speaker 3: It's just really obvious, right.

00:19:17
Speaker 1: Yes, unapologetic about it. They're not a hiding end.

00:19:20
Speaker 4: I guess that's the difference. This is just like, yeah, what you gonna do about it? Whereas before I think maybe we didn't see how things work, but we always knew how things work because it is always about.

00:19:32
Speaker 3: Money in the end.

00:19:33
Speaker 4: And well, now it's just really obvious and out there, and.

00:19:38
Speaker 2: This is something Trump's done. This is that I don't this is how it works. I'm telling all y'all what you're gonna do about it?

00:19:43
Speaker 1: It's nothing to do here. It's fine.

00:19:44
Speaker 2: Now there are arguments being made that Amazon Prime could get some of that money back, because now, what do you do. You have this big movie that's gonna go to Amazon Prime Video that now maybe you might start attracting a different, more diverse or conservative audience to this. It could start to possibly pay off in that way. Yes, don't know.

00:20:01
Speaker 4: You make a good point because this is in theatrical release, they said, but for like three to four weeks I believe is the time frime.

00:20:07
Speaker 3: They gave it for being in movie theaters singularly.

00:20:10
Speaker 4: But after that, so it looks like some At some point either March end of February March, if you are an Amazon Prime member, you will be able to watch Milania on from your couch, streaming it on Amazon Prime.

00:20:27
Speaker 2: It could pay off that way. But generally, yes, this is being just seen as yes, doing a favor for the president, to win favor. A last few lines will give you from the Independent heregar vulgar, gilded lifestyle of the Trumps makes them look like Marie Antoinette skulking in her cake field chateau Woo's.

00:20:48
Speaker 3: That's mean.

00:20:49
Speaker 2: This is American history through the idiosyncratic prism of a woman who is part puppet of the regime, part delusional creative, and part symbol of America because immigrant community. Hmm yeah, part puppet for the regime. You get what they're trying to say, even though some harsh language, part delusional creative that seems like an attack on her, like you're you're not this thing you think you are, but part symbol of America's immigrant community. Is there a better immigrant success story just on paper? People will take issue with how they met, and she was too young, all these things, but this is a woman who came here with nothing. She's the first lady the United States and is not the best English speaker.

00:21:30
Speaker 4: We have no she came from Slovenia. Look and look at her now. Yeah, she's got a documentary about her. She's living in the White House for the second time, and she could be Yes, she is living the American dream and it is interesting too, like we we obviously, there were so many negative.

00:21:50
Speaker 3: Critic reviews that you just pulled, probably the most.

00:21:54
Speaker 1: I guess I didn't have all morning to.

00:21:57
Speaker 4: Do this right, but it didn't take long for you to look all together. And then you asked me to take a look at the verified audience reviews because they also weigh in on what they saw. And it's just so interesting when you juxtapose what we just told you that critics wrote about this documentary, and then you hear what verified audience members had to say.

00:22:18
Speaker 2: Who went to go see this the essentially movie fans who chose to go see this movie?

00:22:24
Speaker 1: Correct, Yes, all right.

00:22:25
Speaker 4: Here we go, Jen writes a fantastic flick. Our theater was sold out and erupted in applause and cheers at the end of the show. Milania is a wonderful human, a class act and America is blessed. She is once again our first lady is the one.

00:22:42
Speaker 3: I'm true, she said, no, this one doesn't have Yeah.

00:22:45
Speaker 4: This behind the scenes sneak peek was so well done and such a wonderful watch.

00:22:50
Speaker 3: A must see.

00:22:51
Speaker 4: It only says that they're verified, so I can't see where they're from. Rebecca says, great glimpse into flotus. Beautifully done. Bob Tutt says, very well done. Movie showing details of the inauguration from Milania's perspective. If you liked Milania, you'll love her after this movie.

00:23:07
Speaker 1: Are we talking about the same movie?

00:23:10
Speaker 3: Apparently yes.

00:23:12
Speaker 4: Jenny em says, what a beautiful first lady we are so blessed to have in the White House. Such composure, kindness, and grace. Teresa most elegant first lady we have ever had. Her attention to detail was on full display. This was a fascinating movie to watch and the music was great.

00:23:31
Speaker 1: Wow.

00:23:32
Speaker 3: Okay, Peggy b really liked it.

00:23:36
Speaker 4: Donald he will never change, he is who he is and very funny. I felt like you got to know the first Lady and she is really very charming and smart and adores her family.

00:23:47
Speaker 3: I think it's a must see so that.

00:23:50
Speaker 1: That's why we have to go see it.

00:23:52
Speaker 3: Well, of course we do have to see this movie.

00:23:55
Speaker 4: We can't weigh in and look, we will weigh in on what we thought about the movie without being political and without being mean. But I cannot wait to see it for ourselves and.

00:24:09
Speaker 3: See where we fall. Maybe somewhere in between.

00:24:13
Speaker 1: Who knows. I bet it's beautifully shot. I bet it's impressive to see, and she's impressive to I don't know. We will wait.

00:24:20
Speaker 2: I am not gonna speculate, but I do want to tell you a Hollywood Reporter headline this morning from the Hollywood Reporter box office Milana, Milania heading for a surprise eight million dollar opening in North America?

00:24:34
Speaker 3: Do you know that is music to Donald Trump's ears?

00:24:37
Speaker 2: It could possibly end up number three at the box office. Something weird could happen and she could end up number two at the box office. Everybody's talking about it. They are organizing, they are grassrootsing this thing. Is it possible they could pull off an election night type surprise with this movie?

00:24:56
Speaker 3: Who knows? We'll be watching how about that?

00:24:58
Speaker 4: We will be watching the movie, but we will also be watching the continuing reviews and those box office numbers because she's got all day today and when does the box office end?

00:25:08
Speaker 3: Tomorrow?

00:25:09
Speaker 2: Tomorrow, But they all have the predictions out. By midday tomorrow, they'll have an idea of how it's going to land, so will know tomorrow.

00:25:16
Speaker 4: Yeah, we may hop back on if we get some surprising results, but until then, everyone, yes, thank you so much as always for listening to us.

00:25:24
Speaker 3: I made me Roebuck alongside TJ. Holmes. We hope you have a great day today.