MUMBAI: Robert Greenwald's controversial documentary film - Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, was released in theatres on 6 August in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC. The film is being distributed by Cinema Libre Distribution.

Since its debut on home video more than two weeks ago, Outfoxed has sold well via the Internet while simultaneously creating noteworthy controversy among the media and public alike. Prior to its release on DVD, Center For American Progress sponsored 'premieres' and MoveOn.org organised 3700 'house parties' across the US. The DVD has been listed as Amazon.com's bestseller for two weeks with over 145,000 hits on Yahoo!, a company release states

Fox had earlier offered a strong rebuttal to the documentary at a press conference in New York soon after the film's home debut. The Murdoch owned broadcaster also launched a full-frontal attack on The New York Times, which had published an article on 11 July about the movie.

Fox News issued a statement claiming illegal copyright infringement actions on the part of of moveon.org in cooperation with The New York Times. This included cutting a deal not to give Fox News adequate time to react to the film. Fox went on to accuse the NYT of corrupting the journalistic process.

Meanwhile, during the Democratic National Convention, the film screened to consecutively sold-out audiences. Since its debut, demand for the film by theatre bookers and distribution companies has prompted Cinema Libre to bring the film immediately to theatres in major metropolitan areas.

The film purports to examine how media empires, such as Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a 'race to the bottom' in television news. The film likewise claims to expose the dangers of huge corporations assuming control of the public airwaves and the public's right to know.