Amazon Cancels ‘Melania’ Screenings After Theater’s Edgy Marquee

Lake Theater and Cafe in Lake Oswego, Oregon, experienced an unexpected disruption to its programming this week after Amazon reportedly took issue with a joke displayed on the theater’s marquee. The marquee, advertising a screening of the authorized documentary about Melania Trump, read: “To defeat your enemy, you must know them. ‘Melania’ starts Friday.”

According to Jordan Perry, who manages the theater, Amazon contacted them stating that higher-ups were “upset with how our marquee marketed their movie,” and informed them that Sunday would be the film’s last day at the Lake Theater. Perry detailed the situation in a post on the theater’s Instagram account on Monday, as reported by OregonLive.com.

The theater is known for its occasionally edgy marquee messages. A recent example, advertising the 2024 horror film “Longlegs,” read: “Rated R for bloody violence and disturbing images.” However, the “Melania” marquee apparently crossed a line for Amazon, which acquired the documentary for $40 million, according to a report from the New York Times.

The backlash wasn’t limited to Amazon. Perry explained on Instagram that the theater received “countless emails and voicemails and Google/Yelp reviews” questioning their decision to screen the film and, in some cases, criticizing their portrayal of the former First Lady. Google and Yelp ultimately removed the negative reviews.

Interestingly, Perry had already been considering shortening the film’s two-week booking prior to Amazon’s intervention. He noted the film’s “milquetoast attendance” and lack of interest from regular patrons, and was preparing to contact the booking agent to request a reduction to one week. However, Amazon contacted the booker first, conveying their dissatisfaction with the theater’s marketing approach.

Perry explained his reasoning for booking the documentary in a post on the Lake Theater and Cafe website. He stated that he initially thought it would be “funny,” but also acknowledged a financial motivation. “Financially, the film marketplace this week and next were a desert,” he wrote. He described the documentary as “an inexplicable vanity piece from the current president’s wife” and wondered if showing it at his “obviously anti-establishment, occasionally troublemaking, neighborhood cinema” would be “exponentially weirder…to the point of being funny.”

After viewing the film, Perry didn’t characterize it as “propaganda,” but did note “intentional blind spots.” He described it as “Melania as Melania herself wants to be known, and not everyone will find it flattering.”

The theater’s brief run of “Melania” generated $196 in revenue for Amazon, a figure Perry jokingly acknowledged Jeff Bezos likely wouldn’t notice. However, he believes the marquee did attract attention, potentially landing the theater on Amazon’s “black list.”

As a final message on the marquee, the theater posted: “Amazon called. Our marquee made them mad. All ‘Melania’ shows canceled. Show your support at Whole Foods instead :(.”

Despite the incident, the Lake Theater and Cafe is moving forward with its programming. “Wuthering Heights,” distributed by Warner Brothers, is scheduled to begin screenings on Thursday, February 12.