TikTok has reversed course on Alex Gibney’s Musk documentary. The platform restored the film’s advertising account on Sunday and said the “permanent suspension” it handed down days earlier was an error.
Distributor Bleecker Street was told Friday that a suspension was coming for any ads it tried to buy, over what TikTok called a “repeated pattern of political content” that violated its policies, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A TikTok US spokesperson told Engadget the restriction was made in error and that Bleecker Street can resume posting, as long as its ads comply with TikTok’s policies. TikTok’s rules on political content still apply, and the platform has already flagged material tied to the film.
The suspension landed just as Musk expanded to more than 470 screens across North America, and the distributor told THR that much of the weekend passed without a chance to promote the movie on the platform. Bleecker Street also feared another rejection the next time it submitted paid content.
Ads for the trailer were initially rejected by Meta and YouTube, though both eventually allowed them, according to TechCrunch. Meta blamed its rejection on “an error,” while YouTube said the ad had been “cleared to run.”
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X, which Musk owns, has refused to carry ads for Musk at all, and Musk himself has attacked the film, according to TheWrap.
Inside TikTok’s Rejections
Emails between TikTok and Bleecker Street showed a cycle of rejections and appeals on several paid posts, including the trailer, which an official said would “continue to get pulled from the platform” over political content, THR reported. Another spot built around a quote from The New Yorker was stopped over a “static image.”
TikTok’s US operations are partly owned by Larry Ellison, who, like Musk, has been a notable supporter of President Donald Trump, TechCrunch noted.
What’s in the Film
Gibney, an Oscar-winning filmmaker, spent more than three years on the project. The Musk documentary runs 235 minutes with an intermission and covers Musk’s personal life, his companies, his purchase of Twitter, and his time in the Trump administration, when he oversaw sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and foreign aid, according to TheWrap.
The film includes interviews with Musk’s former partners, including Ashley St. Clair. THR reported that it doesn’t take a position on candidates or causes, even as much of its second half focuses on Musk’s political activities with DOGE and beyond.
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Gibney recently confirmed that the film’s international distributor, Universal, wavered on its plans to release it before moving forward, according to TechCrunch.
A Slow Start at the Box Office
Musk grossed about $70,000 from four theaters in New York and Los Angeles in its opening weekend. Industry estimates projected about $297,000 from 472 theaters for its expansion weekend, an average of $629 per theater, according to TheWrap.
The Musk documentary is set to stream on HBO next year. HBO is now part of Paramount Skydance, which is led by Larry Ellison’s son, David Ellison, according to TechCrunch.
Do you buy TikTok’s explanation that the Musk documentary suspension was just an error? Sound off and let us know!
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