DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – More than a dozen nations with most Muslims immediately pulled the new blockbuster film “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” from their movie theatre schedules without explaining. This was reportedly due to including a transgender poster in the background of one frame.
Multiple requests for feedback from Empire Entertainment, the computer-animated Sony Pictures movie’s Middle Eastern distributor, went unanswered.
The movie wasn’t expressly forbidden, but there were hints that it wouldn’t be released.
For instance, a source connected to the movie who was not authorized to talk in public indicated that there is no expectation that “Across the Spider-Verse” will be screened in the United Arab Emirates. According to the source, children’s and younger audiences’ films are subject to strict censorship.
A tweet from the Saudi Cinema organization’s Twitter account stated that it would not accredit any movie that violated the country’s media content laws and whose “production companies do not commit to implementing the required amendments.”
Muslims immediately pulled the new blockbuster, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”.
Beginning in June, the superhero movie starring Miles Morales as Spider-Man from Marvel Comics had its theatrical debut in the United States, more than double its Oscar-winning prequel’s domestic opening weekend earnings.
It was initially planned to debut in the Middle East on June 22, just before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. The movie was quickly and covertly removed from movie schedules as recently as last week in nations like Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Egypt.
Although there were no explanations given, the brief mention of transgender issues may have offended many in Arab nations where the majority of the population is Muslim and follows Sharia law, which frequently views homosexuality and transgender identity as wicked and against both religious and social norms.
The movie had a scene where Gwen Stacy, a spider superhero played by Hailee Steinfeld, has a transgender flag with the words “Protect Trans Kids” hanging in her bed.
The UAE, home to the futuristic city of Dubai and the tallest structure in the world, has not formally outlawed the film. To improve its reputation as a liberal hub attractive to visitors, the federation of seven sheikhdoms previously declared an end to its regulation of film releases, but it has since continued to remove select films from its theatres.
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Muslims immediately pulled the new blockbuster, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”.
“Across the Spider-Verse” won’t be shown, according to Emaar Entertainment, a state-owned organization and the parent company of significant UAE movie theatre chain Reel Cinemas. Empire Entertainment, Sony Pictures’ exclusive Middle Eastern theatrical distributor, was given credit for the choice by the business.
No one could be reached for comment from Empire Entertainment, the UAE Ministry of Youth and Culture, or the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
A lesbian kiss scene in Disney’s “Lightyear” caused it to be banned in 13 Muslim-majority countries in a similar event last year. The scene had previously been deleted from the movie, but after Pixar employees protested Disney’s response to Florida law known to opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the scene was reinstated.
When it debuted in the area in 2018, “Into the Spider-Verse,” the precursor to “Across the Spider-Verse,” enjoyed a prosperous run. Children in Lebanon wear backpacks with Miles Morales, the franchise’s star and the first Black Spider-Man, while action toys of the movie’s superheroes are sold in stores throughout the UAE.
“Across the Spider-Verse” is the second film in a trilogy that will be completed by a third chapter released in local theatres the following year.
SOURCE – (AP)
