Protect Trans Kids Spider-Verse Poster Results in UAE Ban for Spider-Man Movie

Forum 10 months ago

Protect Trans Kids Spider-Verse Poster Results in UAE Ban for Spider-Man Movie

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been banned in the United Arab Emirates.

The new animated superhero movie from Marvel and Sony features Miles Morales/Spider-Man. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson from a script by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham, the sequel to the 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has been a critical and commercial success in the United States.

What led to the protect trans kids Spider-Verse ban?

Although the original film had a successful theatrical run in the region, the sequel has been banned in the United Arab Emirates after failing to pass local censorship laws. This is due to a “protect trans kids” poster that appears in the background of one frame of the film.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was originally going to premiere on June 22 across the territory ahead of Eid al-Adha. However, the films there must adhere to “local customs and values,” especially the ones aimed at children.

Many films have been banned in the Middle East and Gulf countries in recent years, including Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, West Side Story, and Eternals.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is set to release on March 29, 2024.