US first lady’s upcoming self-titled film has been pull from viewing in South Africa.
Melania, the documentary film produced by Amazon MGM Studios and directed by Brett Ratner about President Donald Trump’s wife, was pulled from theaters in South Africa ahead of its Friday, January 30, U.S. release.
“Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in territory,” Thobashan Govindarajulu, the head of sales and marketing for distributor Filmfinity, told the New York Times on Wednesday.
The publication noted that Govindarajulu declined to define the “recent developments,” but said that the South African distributor was not pressured to pull it.
“That was our decision,” he said.
The 79-year-old president has been critical of South Africa since he took office for his second term last January. The doc follows the former model, 55, in the weeks before the 2025 inauguration.
The Times reports that the decision to pull the documentary was sudden as a chief executive of a major South Africa movie theater chain shared a message earlier this week that the film would be released.
He told the Times that he didn’t know why it was pulled by the distributor.
The first lady and her husband are scheduled to attend the January 29 premiere at the Trump Kennedy Center.
“History is set in motion during the 20 days of my life prior to the U.S. Presidential Inauguration,” Melania previously told Fox News Digital of the film.
“For the first time, global audiences are invited into theaters to witness this pivotal chapter unfold — a private, unfiltered look as I navigate family, business, and philanthropy on my remarkable journey to becoming first lady of the United States of America,” she added.
In the film’s trailer, Melania is seen at her husband’s swearing-in ceremony, where she looks at the camera and says, “Here we go again.”