Alex Gibney’s four-hour documentary Musk received a strong response at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday night, where the film made its North American premiere following its debut at the Venice Film Festival. The screening drew enthusiastic applause and an animated audience discussion, with viewers raising questions about Elon Musk’s influence, political reach and the filmmaking choices behind the documentary.
The film, which has been more than three years in the making, examines the growing economic and social influence of Musk across technology, artificial intelligence, social media, automobiles and space exploration. Rather than focusing solely on Musk’s business achievements, Gibney’s documentary investigates how much power the billionaire has accumulated and questions the level of scrutiny surrounding that influence.
Speaking after the screening, Katie Drummond, global editorial director of Wired and one of the prominent voices featured in the documentary, described the experience of watching the film for the first time as overwhelming. She said the documentary’s examination of Musk’s reach made clear how extensive his influence has become across different areas of society.
One of the film’s major sections focuses on Musk’s involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, during his time in Washington. The documentary examines the four-month period and raises questions about access to government systems and sensitive information involving millions of Americans, as well as concerns surrounding the potential political implications of the data.
Gibney addressed those concerns directly during the Toronto event, describing Musk as a “shadow president of the United States” and arguing that the growing influence of billionaires is an issue that deserves public resistance and scrutiny. His comments were met with strong applause from the audience.
The reaction continued after the screening, with viewers discussing the documentary as the lights came back on and several audience members raising questions during the post-screening Q&A. The questions covered Musk’s influence, Gibney’s approach to the subject and the director’s decision to challenge some of the widely credited achievements associated with the billionaire.
One audience member who appeared sympathetic to Musk asked Gibney whether he would rather live in a world without Musk’s accomplishments. Gibney responded by questioning the premise of the question itself, particularly the phrase “the accomplishments of Elon Musk.” He pointed to the history of Tesla and SpaceX, noting that Tesla was not founded by Musk and arguing that SpaceX’s development also involved numerous engineers and other influential figures.
The documentary represents a significant project in Gibney’s career. Known for investigative documentaries examining powerful institutions and individuals, the director has previously tackled subjects ranging from Scientology and corporate scandals to the U.S. military. Musk incorporates footage and reporting gathered over more than three years, including additional material recorded after Musk became deeply involved in Washington politics in 2024.
The Toronto premiere came roughly a week after the documentary’s Venice screening, where it also generated a strong reaction. Its arrival at TIFF gives the film an important North American platform ahead of its theatrical release in October.
Musk is scheduled to open in New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 9 before expanding into most major U.S. cities on Oct. 16. Distributor Bleecker Street moved the release date forward by one week after A24 announced plans to release Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s surprise documentary You Can See Everything on Oct. 16.
Following its theatrical run, Musk is expected to enter a pay-video-on-demand window that could last up to four months before HBO broadcasts the documentary in the first quarter of 2027.
The film is also expected to receive a significant awards campaign. Its potential recognition could include the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and a possible nomination for Best Original Song for its David Byrne closing-credit track. There has also been speculation surrounding the possibility of the documentary entering the Best Picture conversation, although no documentary has ever received a nomination in that category.
Musk himself has publicly criticized the project. His attorney, Alex Spiro, sent a letter to the filmmakers arguing that the documentary could contain statements about Musk that the filmmakers know to be false or failed to adequately investigate. The letter also criticized Gibney for not screening the film for Musk or allowing his team to participate in what Spiro described as the standard journalistic fact-checking process.
Gibney has said that certain details were fact-checked with members of Musk’s team, but he did not provide Musk with a screening of the finished documentary. The decision follows the longstanding journalistic practice of not giving subjects advance access to completed investigative work before publication or release.
The film also includes a text message Musk allegedly sent to his former partner Ashley St. Clair following the 2024 election. In the message, Musk reportedly referred to “the anomaly in the matrix” and mentioned having “lasers in space.” St. Clair interpreted the reference as potentially relating to Starlink. Spiro’s letter disputed the implication and warned the filmmakers that it was false.
Musk also criticized the documentary publicly on X before the Toronto premiere, describing it as a “hit piece” and saying that it failed while also calling the four-hour running time boring. However, the response inside the TIFF screening was notably different. Audience members applauded at the conclusion, reacted visibly to several moments throughout the film and remained engaged during the extended discussion with Gibney.
After the Q&A, attendees gathered around the director with questions about his reporting process, his attempts to contact Musk, and how he decided which periods of Musk’s career and which companies to examine. Gibney spent nearly 20 minutes speaking with audience members, bringing the Toronto premiere to a close amid continued interest in the documentary and its examination of one of the world’s most influential and controversial technology billionaires.
