The Melania documentary was pulled from an Oregon movie theater after jokes about the film were a little too sarcastic for the higher-ups at Amazon.
The Lake Theater and Cafe in Lake Oswego said they were forced to take down the movie because of the way they marketed the film.
“Well played Oregon theatre… WELL played!” one commented online.
The Melania documentary was pulled from an Oregon movie theater over jokes they made about the film
Image credits: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
The neighborhood cinema spoke about the unusual clash they had with Hollywood giant, Amazon MGM Studios, over its playful marquee promoting the Melania documentary.
The Lake Theater and Cafe shared some cheeky promotional messages while screening the multimillion-dollar film.
Image credits: Google Maps
“Does Melania wear Prada? Find out Friday,” read one message on the local theater’s marquee.
Another message referred to a quote attributed to The Art of War author Sun Tzu.
“To defeat your enemy, you must know them. Melania starts Friday,” the message said.
The theater self-described as an “occasionally troublemaking, neighborhood cinema,” got into trouble with Amazon for their marquee messages
Image credits: IMDB/Amazon MGM Studios
Shortly after the documentary hit theaters across the US on Friday, the Lake Theater and Cafe shared a message on Instagram, saying their marquee messages had left some people very upset.
“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 theater said.
Image credits: Lake Theater Cafe
The theater mentioned that they received countless emails, voicemails, and online reviews asking them why they were playing “Melania here, or disdaining our disparaging of her.”
“Now that it’s prematurely over, the plug pulled on us not from public outcry (always listening, thank you) but by some corporate executive (fair enough, sorry AMZN, please don’t cancel my Prime), Jordan figured he’d …say something?” the message added.
“To defeat your enemy, you must know them. Melania starts Friday,” the marquee said at one point
Image credits: The Oregonian
Following the controversy, the marquee above the theater’s entrance was changed to say: “Amazon called. Our marquee made them mad. All ‘Melania’ showings cancelled. Show your support at Whole Foods instead. Join Amazon Prime for Free Two-Day Shipping.”
The theater’s manager, Jordan Perry, spoke to The Oregonian and said they received a call from Amazon, telling them to pull down the movie because of their playful marquee messages.
Image credits: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
“The studio was not happy and/or did not appreciate my take on marketing their film to our own public,” the manager told the outlet.
He had also written a blog post explaining his reasons for screening Melania in the theater, mainly because he thought it “would be funny.”
“Who wants a movie about Melania lol?” the theater’s manager said, finding it “weird” that the documentary even exists
Image credits: laketheatercafe
“I mean, it just seems so weird that it even exists (who wants a movie about Melania lol?), and wouldn’t it then be exponentially weirder, to the point of being funny, to show it here, at your obviously anti-establishment, occasionally troublemaking, neighborhood cinema?” he wrote.
He insisted that showing the documentary wasn’t “necessarily supporting her, this administration, and this administration’s policies,” but a lot of people “don’t think this way,” he said.
“For me there was no dividing line between wanting to see it and showing it here,” he wrote.
Image credits: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
“Am I trying to get people to vote one way or another? Not really!” Jordan continued. “Am I hoping everyone commits to being open-minded, compassionate, and well-informed? Yeah, kinda!”
Jordan admitted that the marquee may have seemed “mean,” but his hope “always is to, though momentarily fanning flames, ultimately lower the temperature.”
After signing off, the manager ended the blog post with a screenshot of what appeared to be an email from a Trump family supporter.
“MAGA always wins over nasty rude people,” the message said.
The manager shared a screenshot from a person who appeared to be a MAGA supporter
Image credits: Lake Theater Cafe
Netizens had mixed opinions about the marquee messages, with one saying: “How childish of the theater.”
“Omg Amazon so #petty and I’m dying to know what the marquee said. If this adorable little theater got their hackles up I can only imagine how they feel about what our Alexas pick up about what we say about them,” one said.
Image credits: Amazon MGM Studios
Another wrote, “I saw the Melania movie and it was good! If you’re trying to be inclusive, then keep your marquees silent.”
“THIS is my kind of patriotism!” one commented.
“Congratulations and thank you, Lake Theater and Cafe! Loved the marquee and that you didn’t have to suffer through low/no attendance at ‘Melanoma,’” said another.
“Only makes me love the place more,” said one fan of the local theater. “Favorite restaurant ever, and if anyone disagrees, well: There’s a lake right there for jumping in.”
“As a proud Oregonian, I’d drive the four hours to this theater to give them my business,” one commented online
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