Bolshoi Babylon premiered on 14 September 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival.[1] In the US, it was theatrically released on 27 November 2015,[2] after which it aired on the pay television station HBO on 21 December 2015.[3] It was released 8 January 2016 in the UK, where it grossed $91,098.[4]
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 78% of 18 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6.4/10.[5]Metacritic rated it 61/100 based on six reviews.[6] Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote that the film "is inevitably diverting as a well-shot partial peek behind the scenes, but reveals far less than intended."[7] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the documentary becomes most interesting when it explores the theatre's internal politics.[8] Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent rated it 4/5 stars and wrote that it "induces a sense of awe" about the theatre company.[9]Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "This enthralling documentary reveals the extraordinary upheavals at the Bolshoi Ballet as the tip of Russia’s rage iceberg".[10] Brian Siebert of The New York Times called it "more attractive than illuminating", as it is "surprisingly short on drama" considering the subject matter.[11] Laura Bleiberg of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "These twin tracts of darkness and light, the sordid and the sublime, quite effectively submerge the viewer into a closed world."[12]