A dispute over music rights has erupted around Melania Trump’s documentary, with her longtime adviser fiercely denying accusations from an Oscar-nominated composer.
Marc Beckman, who advised the first lady and produced the film, called claims from Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood “a blatant lie.”
At stake is whether proper permission was granted to use music from the critically acclaimed film Phantom Thread.
The controversy adds another layer of drama to a documentary already making headlines for its underwhelming box office performance.
What Sparked the Music Rights Controversy
Greenwood, who serves as guitarist for English rock band Radiohead, issued a statement alongside director Paul Thomas Anderson claiming the documentary used music from Anderson’s 2017 film Phantom Thread without proper consultation.
Specifically, the documentary featured an extended excerpt from “Barbara Rose,” a piece from the film’s Oscar-nominated score. Greenwood currently has another Academy Award nomination for his work on Anderson’s 2025 release One Battle After Another.
The composer and director alleged that Universal failed to consult Greenwood before granting permission for the music’s use in Melania’s vanity project.
Producer Fires Back With Strong Denial
Speaking to conservative outlet Breitbart on Monday, Beckman mounted an aggressive defense of the production team’s practices.
We have a legal right and permission to use every song and piece of music in the film. We have the legal rights to use it. We’ve done everything the right way. We followed protocol. We respect artists. We compensated everyone for their music.
Beckman didn’t stop there, escalating his response with additional assertions about the production’s legal standing.
We have legally binding, fully executed contracts in place to use every song in Melania. This is just ridiculous.
He also criticized media coverage of the dispute, claiming no outlet contacted him or the Melania team before publishing stories about Greenwood and Anderson’s statement.
Box Office Performance Under Scrutiny
Despite the legal controversy, Beckman attempted to frame the documentary as a commercial success during his Breitbart interview.
We’re very pleased with the film’s performance in its second weekend in theaters. We crossed $13 million in sales and we hit the predicted benchmark for our sales projections for Super Bowl weekend almost exactly with what we predicted.
However, those numbers tell a different story when examined against production and marketing costs.
The Financial Reality Behind the Scenes
Amazon MGM invested heavily in acquiring and promoting the documentary, spending a staggering $75 million total.
That figure breaks down into $40 million for the initial purchase price and an inflated $35 million marketing budget.
Melania Trump herself profited handsomely from the deal, pocketing approximately $28 million from the film’s sale.
With only $13.4 million earned since release, the documentary has recovered less than 18% of Amazon’s total investment. The financial gap raises questions about whether the streaming giant overpaid for prestige content connected to a polarizing political figure.
Amazon Remains Optimistic About Future Revenue
Despite disappointing theatrical returns, Amazon distribution chief Kevin Wilson praised what he called the film’s “strong theatrical performance” on Saturday.
Wilson indicated the studio plans to recoup losses through alternative revenue streams when the documentary begins streaming on Prime Video.
The company hopes to generate income through advertising revenue and new Prime membership signups driven by interest in the controversial documentary.
Streaming Success Uncertain
Whether Prime Video viewership can close a $60+ million deficit remains highly uncertain.
Streaming platforms rarely disclose specific viewership data or revenue attribution for individual titles, making it difficult to assess whether Wilson’s optimism is justified or simply damage control.
Documentary films traditionally struggle to generate substantial advertising revenue compared to scripted series or blockbuster movies with broader appeal.
What Happens Next in the Legal Dispute
Representatives for Greenwood, Beckman, Focus Features, Amazon Studios, and director Brett Ratner have been contacted for additional comment on the music rights controversy.
The dispute centers on a fundamental question in entertainment law: whether proper authorization chains were followed when licensing music for the documentary.
If Beckman’s claims of “legally binding, fully executed contracts” hold up under scrutiny, Greenwood and Anderson’s complaint may have been premature or based on incomplete information about Universal’s licensing agreements.
Conversely, if the composer’s concerns prove valid, the production could face copyright infringement claims despite whatever paperwork Beckman’s team secured from Universal.
The outcome may hinge on technical details about who holds various rights to Greenwood’s Phantom Thread compositions and whether all necessary stakeholders were properly consulted before the music appeared in Melania’s documentary.