Musk (2026) is a nearly four-hour documentary directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney that examines Elon Musk’s life, career, public persona, and influence.
It is currently playing in theaters (limited release began October 9, 2026, in the US via Bleecker Street; wider expansion followed). Runtime is listed around 3 hours 52–55 minutes (or roughly 235 minutes total), often including a 10-minute intermission. It is rated R for language and brief violent content.
Overview and Approach
Gibney frames the film around a central question: how Musk accumulated extraordinary wealth, cultural influence, and political power, and why society enabled it. The documentary traces his path from childhood in apartheid-era South Africa through Silicon Valley startups, Tesla, SpaceX, the acquisition and transformation of Twitter (now X), Starlink, political alignments (including support for Donald Trump and involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency/DOGE), personal relationships, and his status as the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX-related developments.
Musk declined to participate. Gibney’s team compiled an extensive archive of Musk’s public statements, interviews, and appearances, then used CGI to create a digital avatar of Musk that appears on screen speaking only in Musk’s own recorded words. Reviewers frequently describe this as a striking, sometimes eerie device that allows the film to incorporate Musk’s perspective without an original interview.
Interviewees and archival material include Musk’s first wife Justine Musk, Ashley St. Clair, journalists such as Kara Swisher and Zoë Schiffer, Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard, AI researcher Geoffrey Hinton, and others connected to his companies or personal life. The film draws on litigation records, public footage, and reporting to challenge aspects of Musk’s self-mythology (for example, claims about founding Tesla).
Critical Reception
Critics have largely responded positively. Rotten Tomatoes consensus describes it as “a sharp, revealing portrait of Elon Musk’s transformation from celebrated innovator to controversial power broker, examining the far-reaching consequences of his influence,” with scores in the high 90s range in early tallies. Metacritic scores have hovered in the mid-to-high 70s (“generally favorable”).
Reviews often praise the thorough research, narrative construction that connects disparate chapters of Musk’s career and personal life, and the film’s willingness to examine both technological achievements and controversies (personality, business practices, political impact, personal relationships, and the gap between image and reality). Some note that much individual information was already public, but argue the cumulative portrait and length give it weight. Criticisms include the marathon runtime (exhausting for some) and the inherently adversarial tone, given Gibney’s history of critical documentaries (Enron, Elizabeth Holmes, Scientology, etc.).
Early box office was modest (a few hundred thousand dollars in limited release). Musk publicly dismissed the project in advance as a “hit piece” and later criticized Gibney.
Context and Production Notes
Gibney began work years earlier (publicly discussed around 2023). The project expanded as events unfolded—particularly Musk’s political involvement around the 2024 election—leading to the extended runtime rather than a shorter cut. Producers include entities linked to Jigsaw Productions, Anonymous Content, Closer Media, Double Agent, and others; Ronan Farrow and Lawrence Wright are among those credited in producing roles. It premiered out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on September 8, 2026.
The film sits in the tradition of long-form, investigative documentaries that interrogate powerful figures and the systems that amplify them. Viewers should expect a critical lens rather than a neutral or celebratory biography. Because it relies heavily on existing public record and interviews with people around Musk, reactions often split along preexisting views of its subject: some see it as essential accountability, others as an extended attack.
For showtimes, check local listings or platforms such as AMC or the distributor’s site, as availability continues to expand. If you’re looking for trailers, specific reviews, or comparisons to other Musk biographies (such as Walter Isaacson’s book), those are widely available online.
