TikTok permanently suspended the social media account promoting director Alex Gibney’s new documentary about Elon Musk on Friday, just as the project expanded into hundreds of theaters nationwide.
Film distributor Bleecker Street was informed Friday afternoon that the account faced permanent removal, The Hollywood Reporter first reported. The account had gathered more than 10,000 followers before being taken down, according to TheWrap. In one of its final posts before the ban took effect, the account encouraged viewers to see the documentary “before it gets shut down,” The Verge reported.
Disputes over advertising
TikTok asserted that the account breached company rules regarding political material, though it did not detail which specific provisions were broken, according to TheWrap. Representatives for TikTok did not immediately reply to requests for comment from multiple news outlets.
The suspension marks an escalation in an ongoing battle between the documentary’s team and major social media networks. Last month, ad campaigns promoting the film’s trailer were turned away by TikTok, X, Meta and YouTube. Meta and YouTube later reversed their decisions following public criticism, with representatives attributing the initial rejections to errors. However, both TikTok and X maintained their refusal to run paid advertisements for the film.
Musk, who bought the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022, publicly denounced the documentary on X, describing the film as a “hit piece” and adding that director Gibney “has ZERO integrity,” according to Variety.
Ties to tech leaders and box office rollout
Running nearly four hours, “Musk” examines the billionaire’s personal life, corporate ventures and political influence, including his role in President Donald Trump’s administration, TheWrap reported. The documentary also touches on fellow tech billionaire Larry Ellison, whose company Oracle is connected to TikTok’s U.S. operations. Ellison appears in the project through a text message offering financial backing for Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.
The film’s corporate connections extend further into the entertainment industry. HBO financed the documentary and is scheduled to stream it next year. Following an acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO is now connected to Skydance, an enterprise run by Ellison’s son, David Ellison, TheWrap and TechCrunch reported.
The documentary also experienced friction beyond social networks. Gibney confirmed to The New York Times that international distributor Universal Pictures temporarily hesitated over its distribution plans overseas before choosing to go forward with the release.
The film debuted on Oct. 9 in four theaters across New York and Los Angeles, generating roughly $70,000 in ticket sales during its opening weekend, according to box office reports. The rollout expanded to 472 North American theaters on Friday. Box office projections cited by Variety and TheWrap anticipate the movie will earn between $297,000 and $385,000 through Sunday as it continues its theatrical run.
