Here’s what happened.
An independent movie theater in Oregon says it was pressured by Amazon to stop screening the film Melania after using playful marquee messages to promote the documentary—triggering backlash, online outrage, and ultimately the film’s removal.
The Lake Theater & Café in Lake Oswego, Oregon, had advertised the film with lighthearted signage referencing First Lady Melania Trump. According to local reporting, one marquee read, “To beat your enemy, you need to know them. Melania starts Friday,” a quote attributed to Sun Tzu. Another sign asked, “Does Melania Trump wear Prada? See for yourself Friday.”
Those messages, the theater claims, drew unwanted attention from Amazon.
In an Instagram post, the theater said it was contacted by representatives it identified as being affiliated with Amazon, who took issue with the promotional messaging and asked that the film be pulled. The theater said it was informed that Sunday would be the documentary’s final screening.
After agreeing to the request, the theater changed its marquee once more, using it to acknowledge the dispute. One message stated that Amazon had complained about the signage and that all Melania screenings were canceled, while another referenced Amazon Prime’s two-day shipping.
The incident quickly escalated online. Theater staff said they were flooded with emails and voicemail messages from both supporters of the film and critics who objected to it being shown. Some viewers accused the theater of mocking the First Lady, while others questioned why the film was screened at all.
In a follow-up message, the theater said many critics expressed outrage simply over the decision to host the documentary. The controversy also spilled into online reviews, with the venue reporting a surge of negative ratings after news of the screening became public.
One review that remained visible accused the business of supporting a presidential administration the reviewer opposed and vowed to boycott the theater—language that echoed several similar comments before some reviews were later removed.
The theater’s owner, Jordan Perry, later addressed the situation in a statement posted on the venue’s website. He said the decision to screen Melania was not intended to be political and was based on offering content that might interest the local community.
Perry noted that the current film marketplace has been slow for independent theaters and described the period as difficult for new releases. While acknowledging that many patrons hold liberal political views, he said the theater aims to remain inclusive and welcoming to a wide audience.
The film documents First Lady Melania Trump in the period leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Amazon has not publicly commented on whether it withdrew the theater’s permission to show the documentary or clarified its stance.