"SAN DIEGO — Hollywood has just cast SeaWorld as a bad guy. But SeaWorld has decided to diverge from the story line."
"In an unusual pre-emptive strike on the documentary “Blackfish,” set for release on Friday in New York and Los Angeles by Magnolia Pictures, SeaWorld Entertainment startled the film world last weekend by sending a detailed critique of the movie to about 50 critics who were presumably about to review it. It was among the first steps in an aggressive public pushback against the film, which makes the case, sometimes with disturbing film, that orca whales in captivity suffer physical and mental distress because of confinement.
Magnolia and the film’s director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, shot back with a point-by-point rebuttal in defense of the movie."
Michael Cieply reports for the New York Times July 18, 2013.
SEE ALSO:
"Movie Review: Do Six-Ton Captives Dream of Freedom?" (New York Times)
"Review: 'Blackfish' And the Thorny Captivity of a Killer Whale" (Los Angeles Times)
"'Blackfish' Documentary Dives Into Killer Whale Captivity" (Reuters)
"A 'Psychological Thriller' About SeaWorld's Resident Killer" (NPR)
"ReThink Review: Blackfish -- The Dark, Wild Side of Free Willy" (Huffington Post)
"SeaWorld Roils The Waters With PR Campaign" (MediaPost)
"'Blackfish' Takes Aim At SeaWorld" (NPR)
"SeaWorld Calls 'Blackfish' Documentary 'Inaccurate, Misleading'" (ABC News)
Blackfish Movie Site
