Amazon Halts Screening Of Melania Trump Documentary From Movie Theater In Light Of Marquee Jokes

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A movie featuring the First Lady has been removed from a local theater after the theater used its marquee to display critical comments about the film.

The documentary Melania, about First Lady Melania Trump and the time leading up to what would have been President Trump’s second inauguration, came out in theaters on January 30th. It received very negative reviews, currently holding a 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the poor reception, one movie theater in Oregon responded with humor.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Lake Theater and Cafe in Lake Oswego has a reputation for clever movie advertising. The Oregonian reported that the theater was asked to stop showing the film Melania after Sunday because of its marketing. The theater had displayed the message, “To defeat your enemy, you must know them. Melania starts Friday,” on its marquee.

The theater also briefly used the tagline, “Does Melania wear Prada? Find out Friday.” According to manager Jordan Perry, Amazon was upset with his approach to marketing the film to local audiences. He also mentioned he was already considering shortening the film’s run to just one week because many Lake Oswego moviegoers were unhappy with the theater even showing it.

When the movie was removed from their schedule, Lake Theater updated its marquee with a message saying Amazon was upset with their advertising. They announced all showings of Melania were cancelled and suggested people show their support at Whole Foods (see details on Instagram). Perry, writing on the theater’s website, explained they’d booked Melania because “the film market was very slow this week and next.”

January is usually a quiet time for new movies in theaters, but right now, the horror film Send Help is performing surprisingly well at the box office. It’s expected to be overtaken by February’s releases soon. Perry also talked about Send Help, but noted that movies like it don’t typically succeed at this particular theater, and he thought it was funny to consider showing Melania instead.

The box office has been very slow this week and next. While a film like ‘Send Help’ might be a decent option, similar edgy, R-rated movies haven’t performed well lately. So, why not show the strange, seemingly unnecessary film about the current president’s wife? It’s already odd that it was made in the first place – who even asked for a Melania Trump movie? – and showing it at our independent, sometimes rebellious cinema would be even more bizarre, almost comically so.

Perry mentioned the venue only sold $196 worth of tickets to the film Melania over the weekend, highlighting that the revenue barely made a dent in the film’s costs. While Melania has earned around $8 million so far – a record for a documentary’s opening – it’s considered a significant financial disappointment. Amazon MGM spent $40 million on production and an additional $35 million on marketing.

The film Melania is directed by Brett Ratner, known for Rush Hour. This marks his return to directing after facing accusations of sexual assault that led to a period of being ostracized, which has generated controversy around the movie. Despite this, Melania is still playing in numerous cinemas across the country.

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2026-02-04 23:28