Overview
- Paul Thomas Anderson and composer Jonny Greenwood requested that a segment from Greenwood’s 2017 Phantom Thread score be removed from Brett Ratner’s Melania, alleging Universal breached a contract clause requiring consultation.
- Producer Marc Beckman rejected the allegation, stating the production has fully executed licenses for every song used and calling the claim a “blatant lie.”
- Amazon MGM Studios and Universal/Focus had not issued detailed public responses as of the latest reports, and the contested music remained in current versions of the film.
- Multiple outlets report the excerpt used is the track “Barbara Rose,” with the documentary also featuring songs by the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley.
- The controversy follows unusually high spending on the film, with an estimated $40 million acquisition and about $35 million in marketing, against roughly $13.3–$13.5 million domestic box office after two weeks and largely negative reviews.