Disaster capitalism exposé on rise and fall of Vice magazine gets first trailer

12 July 2025, 16:06 | Written by The Line of Best Fit

(News)

MUBI has revealed the trailer and streaming release dates for Eddie Huang’s VICE IS BROKE, which takes an insider view on the meteoric rise and spectacular fall of Vice magazine from its early days as a Montreal alt-punk ’zine to a $5.7bn valuation and subsequent bankruptcy.

The media company dominated the digital world in the 2010s before being exposed for its toxic work culture, and its fall from grace saw mass layoffs and and eventual collapse – with co-founder Shane Smith reportedly taking an $8million salary while Vice was going bankrupt.

Huang, 42, previously helmed Huang’s World for Vice, which ran for four seasons and followed the author, producer, host and chef as he travelled around the world to learn about local history, culture and food. Talking to The Ankler back in September last year, he spoke of his encounter with Vice co-founder – and founder of right-wing neo-facist group the Proud Boys – during the making of the film: "He is the voice of Vice. That is what was sold around the world. And I think it’s important for people to see how something like his voice gets packaged and commodified and turned into a brand, and people are buying it and listening to it, unbeknownst to them that this guy is a Nazi.”

VICE IS BROKE had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival last year and scooped a Grand Jury Prize nomination at DOC NYC 2024. It's set to premiere exclusively on MUBI on 29 August 2025.