TikTok banned the entire Musk film account, citing political content that violates its policies. The move, which comes just as Alex Gibney’s investigation into Elon Musk expands to more than 470 screens across North America, raises concerns about the crackdown on Big Tech that the film itself seeks to expose.
Distributor Bleecker Street was informed Friday afternoon that a “permanent suspension” was imminent. The entire page disappeared from the TikTok platform shortly after. The film company had planned to spend advertising money to strengthen certain publications; this won’t happen again.
A spokesperson for the distributor confirmed that TikTok representatives informed them of the suspension and noted “disappointment” with the timing. After grossing $70,000 from four theaters in New York and Los Angeles in its first weekend of release, Musk is now playing in dozens of cities this weekend. The spokesperson said the company was appealing the decision; However, even a reversal could still prove costly if it doesn’t happen during a weekend window when many people are likely to see the film.
A representative for TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk delves into a number of his subject’s actions and ventures, which Gibney spent more than three years investigating. The film devotes much of its second half to Musk’s political activities with DOGE and beyond. It also focuses on its acquisition of Twitter, which Gibney says was done to control the digital public square, adding an element of power and irony to TikTok’s move.
An official company message to Bleecker Street noted a “severity level of policy violations” and said “certain violations trigger immediate suspension.”
However, it is not clear exactly what these violations were. Bleecker Street had just released two new pieces of content before the suspension. In one, a cheeky ad about what to do during the nearly four-hour documentary’s intermission, the on-screen text suggested deleting your
A second message suggested seeing the film “before it gets shut down”, adding an extra element of irony to the social ban.
THE Musk The TikTok account has amassed more than 10,000 followers since going live, an unusually high number for an individual documentary.
TikTok has no official affiliation with Elon Musk, although it is partly owned by Larry Ellison, who has a tough time in the doc when a text from him offering to pay the mogul billions to help finance his acquisition of Twitter is shown. TikTok has been more resistant to Musk content than some of its competitors, refusing to back down from its position by accepting a trailer ad even after Meta and Google/YouTube did just that. X, of course, did not want to accept publicity for the film.
Larry’s son David is set to release Gibney’s documentary when his new acquisition, HBO, which financed the film, arrives on the platform in 2027.
Gn entert
