TikTok reinstated Bleecker Street’s advertising account after restricting its promotion of the documentary “Musk,” a U.S. spokesperson told Engadget, saying the restriction was made in error.
The spokesperson said on October 18 that the distributor could resume posting advertisements as long as they comply with TikTok’s policies.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the ban. TikTok had attributed it to a “repeated pattern of political content that violates its policies,” according to that report.
The account’s “permanent suspension” occurred shortly before the documentary’s wider U.S. release on October 16. Bleecker Street told The Hollywood Reporter it would appeal the decision and seek its reversal.
Directed by Alex Gibney and distributed by Bleecker Street, the nearly four-hour documentary about billionaire Elon Musk opened in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles on October 9. It grossed approximately $70,000 during its opening weekend before expanding to more U.S. theaters.
Meta and YouTube also initially restricted promotional advertising for the documentary but ultimately allowed trailer advertisements for its release. A Meta spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter its initial decision was “an error,” while YouTube said in a statement that the trailer had been “cleared to run.”
