23-05-2025
Lionsgate's Staggered ‘Ballerina' Embargo For 'Enthusiastic' & 'Critical Sentiment' Irks Reviewers
We're all atune to the increasingly curated early responses to movies from distributors but this was beyond the pale for many.
Lionsgate yesterday sent out an email to Ballerina critics and reviewers in which it told them that 'spoiler-free enthusiasm' on social media is allowed starting on May 22 and that 'critical social sentiment & formal reviews are embargoed until' June 4.
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Quite rightly, this bent many out of shape. That's an unethical demand for most. Critics we spoke to hadn't heard of an embargo edict going that far before. Many online were also perturbed.
The BALLERINA embargo notice is absolutely unethical: An embargo hold on negative reactions?! Only positive reactions are okay?!Certainly hope none of you will be complicit in this buffoonery. If any of you value your dignity (I know, it's a tough ask), you won't cave.
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) May 22, 2025
This is the review embargo for Ballerina. Negative reactions being on hold is absolutely insane. Regardless if the reaction is positive or negative, wouldn't you want people talking about your film anyways?
— Mission Impossible – The Final Alex (@Alex_Madden_) May 22, 2025
The Lionsgate split embargo on BALLERINA has me fired up and I wrote a little rant about the slow death of film
— devincf (@devincf) May 22, 2025
We hear from studio sources that this was a case of poor wording and that following the outcry marketers reached out to those who received the note to let them know that they're welcome to express whatever opinion they have of the movie.
That would be a good outcome if it came to pass. Hopefully the rowing back wasn't only a result of the outcry. The early reaction and influencer curated responses to movies have been growing in the wrong direction for a while. We don't need anymore blurring of the critical boundaries.
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