*Amazon MGM Studios has pulled the documentary “Melania” from a single-screen theater in Lake Oswego, Oregon, after a playful marquee message triggered complaints. According to USA Today, the Lake Theater & Cafe confirmed the decision came after the studio objected to how the film was promoted on the venue’s sign.
The Lake Theater & Cafe is known locally for humorous, customized marquee copy tied to its programming. For the documentary centered on First Lady Melania Trump, the marquee read: “Does Melania wear Prada? Find out Friday” and, quoting Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War,” “To defeat your enemy, you must know them. Melania starts Friday.”
The theater said it was informed that Amazon executives were unhappy with the messaging. In an Instagram post, the business wrote: “Got a call that the higher ups (i.e., at Amazon) were upset with how our marquee marketed their movie (i.e., Melania), that, per them, Sunday would be its last day here.”
The marquee sparked intense reaction from the public. The theater reported receiving “countless emails and voicemails and Google/Yelp reviews (Google/Yelp took them down) wondering why the hell we had Melania here, or disdaining our disparaging of her.”
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Jordan Perry, who manages the theater, said the studio’s decision ultimately aligned with his own concerns. He noted the negative public response from some moviegoers was “paired with its milquetoast attendance here and most definitely not by our regulars,” leading him to consider shortening the booking before Amazon intervened.
In a post on the theater’s website, Perry explained why he initially chose to screen the documentary. “Mostly, I thought doing so would be funny.” He added that scheduling challenges also played a role, writing, “Financially, the film marketplace this week and next were a desert,” he wrote.
Directed by Brett Ratner and co-produced by Amazon MGM Studios, “Melania” follows the former first lady during the 20 days leading up to her move into the White House. Melania Trump has described the project as “A first of its kind, capturing the 20 days of my life before the inauguration, 20 intense days of transformation from private citizen to first lady, balancing my business, my philanthropy, fostering the future, building my East Wing team and the White House staff and, of course, caring for my family.”
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