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Streamers Fought to Line Trump’s Pockets in Melania Doc Bidding War

Amazon’s $40 million bid beat out Disney and Paramount.

Amazon waged a bidding war against fellow streaming giants Disney and Paramount for the licensing rights to a documentary about Melania Trump, according to Puck. While it’s unclear what the losing bids were, three sources familiar with the deal told Puck that Amazon forked over $40 million. Neither Netlfix nor Apple, the two other biggest names in streaming, made an offer for the film, which will be directed by Brett Ratner, who has denied multiple sexual misconduct allegations made against him. It’s not known how much of the payday will go to either Ratner or Trump. The flick, which Amazon has said will offer an “unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at First Lady Melania Trump,” began shooting last month. The new documentary comes after Trump released her memoir, Melania, in October last year. The book revealed where the once-and-future first lady deviates from the politics of her husband, President-elect Donald Trump—like her ardent defense of abortion rights. Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, has been one of a number of tech titans who have seemingly aimed to curry the incoming president’s favor in recent weeks, dining at Mar-a-Lago and pledging $1 million to his inauguration.