Two afterparties will take place in Washington, D.C., on Thursday night following the premiere of the much-hyped and criticized documentary, Melania. There is the official one, and then there is Donald Trump Jr.’s.
After the Amazon MGM documentary is screened at the Kennedy Center, the official, invitation-only gathering will include 250 guests. “That’s the official, proper producers party,” a source told Page Six. “It’s invite only, it’s pretty significant people.”
About a five-minute drive from the Kennedy Center, Trump Jr.’s club, The Executive Branch, is holding an invite-only afterparty where guests in “business attire” will be served cocktails and canapés, according to the outlet. Singer Akon will also perform, the invitation reportedly says.
The Executive Branch, as the Daily Beast reported last year, is a nondescript, basement-level Georgetown establishment that provides access to Trump world figures for those willing to pay six figures in an initiation fee. It was founded by Trump Jr., 48, and four other businessmen, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s two sons, Alex and Zach.
Melania, which chronicles 55-year-old Trump’s 20 days leading up to her becoming first lady once again, will be released on Friday—reportedly in 2,000 theaters in the U.S. and 3,000 internationally. But sales at several U.S. locations have apparently been poor, based on screenshots of cinema showtimes showing fully available seats.
Meanwhile, the entire country of South Africa has pulled all scheduled showtimes. A reason wasn’t given, but according to Meidas News, there were concerns about how the $40 million, 104-minute film would be received, given the Trump administration’s immigration tactics.
Additionally, some crew members on the documentary aren’t thrilled with the finished product and requested that they not be credited.
“Unfortunately, if it does flop, I would really feel great about it,” one crew member told Rolling Stone.
On top of that, Melania has received a flurry of bad reviews on Letterboxd—including from those who haven’t watched it.
“I haven’t watched this obviously, I just want it to have the lowest rating on all of Letterboxd. Do your part. F--- Melania and, of course, f--- Trump,” one user wrote.
Another added: “Wont watch wont even pirate. Just making sure it’s the lowest rated movie of all time.”
The Trump Organization, where Trump Jr. is executive vice president, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast, nor did the White House.
