A small-town cinema in Oregon is finding itself in a rather public dispute with Amazon MGM Studios over how it marketed a new documentary about Melania Trump. The Lake Theater & Cafe in Lake Oswego has claimed Amazon pulled future screenings of the film after taking issue with the theater’s promotional messaging, which some found playfully critical.
The conflict began when the independent cinema advertised the documentary with lines like “Does Melania wear Prada? Find out Friday!” and “To defeat your enemy. You must know them. Melania.” Jordan Perry, the general manager of the Lake Theater & Cafe, shared on Instagram that Amazon contacted him expressing their dissatisfaction with the marquee’s approach. “Got a call that the higher ups (ie, at Amazon) were upset with how our marquee marketed their movie (ie, Melania), that, per them, Sunday would be its last day here,” Perry wrote.
Perry, seemingly unfazed by the studio’s reaction, responded with a touch of humor, suggesting that Amazon fans show their support at Whole Foods instead and jokingly hoping his Prime membership wouldn’t be affected. He also addressed the criticism he received for even showing the film in the first place, explaining his reasoning in a post titled “Why I, Jordan, Got Melania Here.”
According to Perry, his initial thought was that programming the documentary “would be funny.” He also noted a practical consideration: “The film marketplace this week and next were a desert… So, to fill a screen, why not get this inexplicable vanity piece from the current president’s wife? I mean, it just seems so weird that it even exists (who wants a movie about Melania lol?), and wouldn’t it then be exponentially weirder, to the point of being funny, to show it here, at your obviously anti-establishment, occasionally troublemaking, neighbourhood cinema?”
The situation highlights the delicate balance between a studio’s brand control and a local cinema’s creative freedom. While Amazon has not publicly commented on the specifics of the dispute, the incident underscores the power dynamics at play between major streaming platforms and independent theaters.
The documentary, directed by Brett Ratner, has already generated some controversy, in part due to Ratner’s own past. Ratner was previously blacklisted from Hollywood following allegations of sexual assault. The film’s release comes amid questions surrounding its box office performance, with some observers noting a discrepancy between reported ticket sales and observed attendance in theaters.
According to industry pundit Tom Brueggemann’s Substack, there are accusations of “fake ticket sales” intended to inflate the film’s opening weekend numbers. Sources cited by Brueggemann suggest that blocks of tickets were purchased and then distributed to senior citizen homes and Republican activists. However, Puck reporter Matthew Belloni reported that Amazon and major cinema chains AMC and Regal stated they “did not experience unusual block purchases of tickets,” though Belloni acknowledged that the chains may not have full visibility into all ticket sales.
Despite the questions surrounding its box office, the film reportedly earned $7 million domestically over its opening weekend, landing at No. 3 in the US box office charts. Exit polls indicated that “older white women” were the primary demographic driving its success.
Internationally, the film’s performance has been less robust. In the UK, , it debuted at No. 29 with a screen average of £212. The US currently accounts for approximately 98.8% of the film’s overall box office revenue, with Melania Trump’s native Slovenia proving to be the best-performing international territory.
The incident at the Lake Theater & Cafe also raises questions about the practice of “four-walling,” a release strategy where distributors pay cinemas to screen a film regardless of its potential to draw an audience. Some industry insiders in the UK have speculated that the unusually wide release of the Melania Trump documentary could be an example of this practice.
As of today, , the documentary remains in many theaters nationwide, but the Lake Theater & Cafe’s marquee now reads: “Amazon called. Our marquee made them mad. All Melania showings cancelled. Show your support at Whole Foods instead. Join Amazon Prime for Free Two-Day Shipping.” The situation serves as a reminder of the complexities of film distribution and the potential for friction between studios and independent exhibitors.
