diff --git a/libavcodec/svq1dec.c b/libavcodec/svq1dec.c
index 052b61839e..52147f595b 100644
--- a/libavcodec/svq1dec.c
+++ b/libavcodec/svq1dec.c
@@ -617,9 +617,12 @@ static int svq1_decode_frame(AVCodecContext *avctx, void *data,
     uint8_t *current;
     int result, i, x, y, width, height;
     svq1_pmv *pmv;
+    int ret;
 
     /* initialize bit buffer */
-    init_get_bits8(&s->gb, buf, buf_size);
+    ret = init_get_bits8(&s->gb, buf, buf_size);
+    if (ret < 0)
+        return ret;
 
     /* decode frame header */
     s->frame_code = get_bits(&s->gb, 22);