The Dissident

VOD sales

In its first weekend of home release, the film was the third-most rented title at the iTunes Store and eighth on Apple TV.^[15][16]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 93 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Dissident offers little catharsis in its unflinching look at a grisly murder—and gives no quarter in its forceful reminder of the fragility of free speech."^[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[18]

Jordan Hoffman of Screen International gave the film a positive review, writing: "The Dissident holds few new revelations but presents its case with enough infuriating evidence and storytelling power to make it worthwhile.^[19] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Fogel's investigation is vigorous, deep and comprehensive."^[20] Owen Gleiberman, reviewing the film in Variety, called it "an eye-opening thriller brew of corruption, cover-up, and real-world courage."^[21]

Joseph Fahima of Middle East Eye gave the documentary a negative review, qualifying it as an "over-polished piece, which intentionally omits the less flattering aspects of [Khashoggi] story to deliver a more marketable product" and criticizing that the "theatrical tone prioritises atmosphere, emotional engagement, and mundane cinematic flourishes over well-rounded truth".^[22]

Alleged manipulation

The filmmakers told The Washington Post that they believed trolls operating on behalf of the Saudi government created a false sense of popular disapproval of the film by flooding the review sites Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb.^[23] Tiyson Reynolds from Rotten Tomatoes said "it appears that there have been deliberate attempts to manipulate the movie's audience score".^[24]

Accolades