Universal says it plans to release the documentary Elon Musk hates in theaters

Comcast’s Universal is going ahead with plans to show a new Elon Musk documentary in theaters outside the US, the company says.

The reason that’s news is that a recent story from The Hollywood Reporter said that Universal was having second thoughts about releasing “Musk,” which is highly critical of the mogul.

The story suggests that Universal was worried about blowback because it was “politically sensitive for parts of the Trump administration.” That’s not true, says Universal rep Evan Langweiler. “The studio remains committed to releasing it in theaters internationally.

We’re currently working through a release strategy,” he told me Thursday afternoon.

Universal acquired the rights to distribute the documentary, created by acclaimed filmmaker Alex Gibney, back in 2003.

I’ve asked Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions company for comment.

My colleague Jason Guerrasio, after watching the nearly four-hour film, says it portrays Musk in an unflattering light, which isn’t surprising: Gibney has previously made highly critical films about tech figures, including Steve Jobs and Elizabeth Holmes.

Musk, who didn’t cooperate with Gibney during the movie’s production, has been complaining about it for some time.

The movie does feature an AI-generated version of Musk’s avatar, “who’s been trained on all available interviews the mogul has given,” Guerrasio says.

US audiences will be able to see the movie in theaters starting October 9, via distributor Bleecker Street.

Universal hasn’t announced release dates or any other information about its international rollout.

Comcast has been criticized by Trump for years and is being investigated by Trump’s Federal Communications Commission because of suspicions it is “still engaging in the promotion of DEI.” A story suggesting it was making a concession to Trump registers in part because we’ve seen several media companies offer concessions to Trump in his second term.

It also echoes complaints from the filmmakers behind “The Apprentice,” a scathing Trump biopic in 2024, who argued that Hollywood and tech companies wouldn’t release the movie out of fear of angering Trump or his allies.

The movie was subsequently nominated for two Oscar awards, and you can now stream the movie via Amazon’s Prime Video service and rent it via several other outlets, including Apple and YouTube.