Bleecker Street released the full trailer for Musk, director Alex Gibney‘s nearly four-hour documentary about Elon Musk, on September 24, 2026. The film opens in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on October 9, one week earlier than originally planned, before expanding nationwide on October 16. The documentary will later stream on HBO Max in the first quarter of 2027.
The trailer arrives after a tense few weeks. Musk has publicly attacked the film and its director. His attorney sent a legal warning to Gibney’s production company. And the film itself has drawn strong reviews since it premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 8.
What the Trailer Shows
The two-minute trailer opens with footage of rockets and spacecraft while voices describe Musk in sharply different ways. “He’s possibly the greatest living inventor. He is the real-life Iron Man,” one voice says. As the footage continues, the tone changes. “He’s chaotic, random, capricious, manifestly cruel and selfish. He’s a fascist,” another voice says. The trailer closes with a voice calling Musk “a man who has lost his mind” as a rocket crashes back to Earth.
Gibney explains in the trailer why he made the film. “Elon Musk is one of the most controversial figures in the world. So I decided to make him the subject of my next film,” he says in voiceover. “But it soon became clear: Elon would not participate.”
The documentary runs 225 minutes, or 3 hours and 45 minutes, with a 10-minute intermission. It covers Musk’s rise from his early days in South Africa to his roles at Tesla, SpaceX, and X, and his later involvement in American politics through the Department of Government Efficiency.
Who Appears in the Film
Musk declined to take part in the documentary. He appears instead through an AI-generated avatar. The film features interviews with people from his personal and professional circles, including his first wife Justine Musk, journalist Kara Swisher, Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard, AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, journalist Zoë Schiffer, and Ashley St. Clair.
Talking Heads frontman David Byrne wrote and performed an original song for the film titled “Let Me Sell You a Dream.” The track is built entirely from Musk’s own public remarks and was co-written with the film’s composer, Daniel Pemberton. It is an Oscar-qualifying entry in the best original song race.
Musk Fires Back at Gibney
Musk has not held back. In replies on X, he wrote that “dogshit is worth more respect” than Gibney. He called the director a “horrible human” and said Gibney “just assembled a hit list of people who either have an axe to grind or don’t even know me.” He also called the documentary a “boring hit piece” and said it “misses.”
Gibney responded at the Venice Film Festival. “I reached out immediately,” he said. “But he clearly wasn’t interested in talking. We made so many formal outreaches to him, and with the exception of his remarks on Twitter, we received nothing back.”
Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, sent a letter to Gibney’s production company, Jigsaw Productions, before the film’s release. In the letter, Spiro wrote that the project “did not begin as an inquiry. It began with a conclusion.” He added: “You are on notice, before release, that the insinuation is false, that the material refuting it is public, and that you chose not to be told the rest.”
Venice Premiere and Critical Response
Musk premiered out of competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 8. It received a four-minute standing ovation. The film then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Reviews have been largely positive. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman called it “a lacerating and important watch.” The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin described it as “a four-hour attack.” Deadline’s Matthew Carey wrote that the film portrays Musk as “petty, narcissistic, megalomaniacal, cruel, detached from humans at a personal level.” The film holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Release Details and International Rollout
Bleecker Street moved the U.S. release up from October 16 to October 9 due to strong interest after the Venice premiere. The film opens in New York and Los Angeles on October 9, then expands nationwide on October 16. Universal Pictures holds international distribution rights and is moving forward with its overseas release plan, according to sources who spoke to Variety. The documentary will stream on HBO Max in the first quarter of 2027.
Also Read: “Sh*t Show”: Netizens React to Paramount Reportedly Queuing Elon Musk as Investor in WB Deal
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