Netflix Under Fire over ill-timed Promo Release of documentary amid Titan Submarine Tragedy

27th June 2023: Netflix is being chastised for its recent release of a documentary trailer on Twitter, attracting harsh criticism for its insensitivity and poor timing.

The teaser for “The Deepest Breath” was posted on June 19, when the inquiry into the missing Titan submarine was still ongoing.

The OceanGate Expeditions vessel, carrying five passengers including British billionaire Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate, and veteran French diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet, departed from its surface ship on June 18 and went missing an hour and 45 minutes later.

At a news conference on June 22, Coast Guard officials announced that the pilot and four passengers aboard the Titan submarine were tragically killed in a “catastrophic implosion” of the craft.

Netflix announced the July 19 launch of the documentary “The Deepest Breath” in a tweet that garnered criticism on the social media platform. The film delves into the world of freediving, where one breath might make the difference between life and death.

The trailer for A24’s documentary “The Deepest Breath” combines heavy breathing sounds and footage of Zecchini’s deep dives into the ocean. It also features a resuscitation of a diver during a freediving competition.

Many netizens were quick to point out the incongruity of marketing a show that digs into the depths of underwater exploration in the aftermath of the submarine disaster.

Social media users reacted their displeasure, with one Twitter user emphasising the issue and questioning the idea to promote such a show during the ongoing Titan submarine controversy.

Another tweet read, “Wow epic timing, and not in a good way. Who decided this was going up?”

The Titan submarine, developed by OceanGate Inc. of Everett, Washington, had previously undertaken dives to the Titanic wreck and was specifically designed to withstand the tremendous water pressure at those depths. This tragic tragedy, however, has sparked questions and concerns about the safety and limitations of deep-sea exploration.