A minor corporate dispute was ignited when Amazon removed the documentary “Melania” from a small cinema in Lake Oswego, Oregon, due to light-hearted marquee messages.
The Lake Theater & Cafe in the Portland suburb had used amusing phrases on its outdoor sign to advertise the documentary about the first lady. One statement quoted Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”: “To defeat your enemy you must know them,” while another teased, “Does Melania wear Prada? Find out Friday.”
On Monday, Jan. 26, the theater was contacted by Amazon expressing dissatisfaction with the marquee messages. Lake Theater & Cafe manager Jordan Perry told The Oregonian that Amazon communicated their displeasure with the film’s marketing through the theater’s booker. By Sunday, Amazon had requested that the theater cease showing the film.
Following Amazon’s decision, the theater changed its marquee to read: “Amazon called our marquee, made them mad.” The sign further suggested that patrons “Show your support at Whole Foods instead,” a nod to Amazon’s ownership of the supermarket chain.
The documentary follows the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025. Amazon MGM Studios purchased the film for $40 million and spent another $35 million on promotion. Across more than 1,500 theaters in North America, “Melania” earned $7 million in its opening weekend.
However, the documentary experienced a steep 67% box office decline in its second weekend, earning $2.37 million from North American theaters and dropping from third place to tenth place. The decline occurred despite the film expanding to 2,003 venues. The film’s 10-day domestic total stands at $13.35 million, far short of the $75 million Amazon spent on acquisition and marketing.
However, the documentary’s earnings were less remarkable at Lake Theater & Cafe. The cinema sold only $196 worth of tickets over the weekend it showed the film. Perry had sought to reduce the booking from two weeks to one before Amazon’s involvement, due to a lackluster turnout that was not representative of the theater’s regular clientele.
The Lake Theater & Cafe is recognized for its creative and topical film promotions, which gained attention during the 2020 COVID shutdown and were even featured in The New York Times.
Prior to Amazon’s withdrawal of the film, the theater had already faced criticism from local patrons. According to Perry, the venue received emails and voicemails from disgruntled individuals questioning why “Melania” was being shown and taking issue with the marquee’s tone. Google and Yelp removed the negative reviews that inundated the theater’s pages during the dispute.
Perry anticipates that the theater might be on Amazon’s blacklist for some time following the incident. This scenario underscores the friction between independent cinemas striving to maintain their unique voices and major studios expecting control over film marketing, even on a local scale.
The involvement of director Brett Ratner in “Melania” sparked controversy in Hollywood. Amazon’s significant investment in the film underscores the company’s commitment to the project and perhaps explains its swift reaction to the marquee dispute.
The incident raises questions about the extent of creative freedom in local film marketing. While major studios pour resources into nationwide campaigns, they generally allow individual theaters some leeway in tailoring promotions for their specific audiences. However, Amazon’s intervention suggests a lower threshold for marketing deviations from approved messaging, particularly for a personal project like a first lady documentary.
The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics, scoring an average of 8% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, with many reviewers labeling it propaganda. However, verified audience members awarded it a 99% score, resulting in the largest critic-audience disparity in Rotten Tomatoes’ history.
Rotten Tomatoes’ parent company, Versant, publicly defended the 99% audience score amid speculation of manipulation, stating in a statement to Variety that there was “NO bot manipulation on the audience reviews” and confirming that all reviews displayed on the Popcornmeter are from verified users who purchased tickets to the film.
While the film did better than most documentaries at the national box office, it sparked significant discussion about the role of political documentaries in mainstream entertainment.
The attention garnered by the controversy may ultimately enhance the theater’s reputation for bold, humorous marketing.
In a period of increasing corporate consolidation in the entertainment industry, small theaters that dare to be distinctive face mounting pressure to conform.