Can a DVD 'break' a DVD player?
 

About a year ago I bought a cheap Oritron DVD player to put in the bedroom just in case the wife and I wanted to enjoy a movie in bed ;) . We use it maybe 3 times a month and have never had a problem with it.

A couple of night ago I decided to watch The Matrix:Reloaded on it and it played fine until near the end it started to stutter a little. Yesterday I tried to watch another movie in it and it would not read the disc. I've now tried every movie I own in the player and it only recognizes 2 of them and even then it refuses to play them. My Sony player in the living room reads all the discs just fine so I know it's just not a case of all of my movies going bad at once.

So is it possible that the Matrix:Reloaded DVD screwed up the Oritron player some how or is it just a coincidence?

No, its probably coincidental. Its not uncommon with lower quality DVD players, and was actually a major problem with various Sony models after about a year. Happened to me when I picked up a cheapo years ago, and even though it was broken I still got a partial trade in on a Denon 2900. Minor upgrade :D

Not likely at all. If it was a rental movie, the disc might have dumped some junk off inside your player. Regular dirt and dust get in there, too. Get a can of compressed air, open the tray, and blow the air inside the player. If there was anything on the lens, it will likely be removed. Try your movie again. If this doesn't work, you may have a spindle motor going bad, or the laser. Try Audioadvisor.com for some great deals on good replacements.