LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (Feb. 4, 2026) — The Lake Theater & Cafe, an independent neighborhood cinema in suburban affluent Portland, said it was contacted by Amazon this week after booking and promoting Melania, a documentary distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, and later removed the film from its schedule. The Oregonian was first to report the story.
The theater drew attention with its marquee messages, which read, “Does Melania wear Prada? Find out Friday,” and later, “To defeat your enemy, you must know them. Melania starts Friday,” a line attributed to The Art of War. After Amazon contacted the theater, the marquee was changed to: “Amazon called. Our marquee made them mad. All Melania showings cancelled.”
Manager Jordan published a statement explaining the decision to book the film and its subsequent cancellation, saying the move was driven by limited programming options rather than politics.
“Mostly, I thought doing so would be funny,” Jordan wrote. “Financially, the film marketplace this week and next were a desert… So, to fill a screen, why not get this inexplicable vanity piece from the current president’s wife?”
Jordan said the decision was not intended as a political statement. “I do not view our film programming as political. I try to choose films for the community that they want to see,” Jordan wrote.
Jordan said the theater sold about $196 in tickets during the brief run and that roughly half of each ticket went to Amazon MGM Studios. “Jeff Bezos won’t notice the $196… though someone on his team noticed our marquee,” Jordan wrote.
The Lake Theater & Cafe is known locally for its eclectic programming and playful marquee messages. Jordan said upcoming films will proceed as scheduled, including Wuthering Heights beginning Feb. 12.
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