Yahoo Movies Across the Spider-Verse pulled from UAE release over use of transgender flag
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will no longer be releasing in the United Arab Emirates after the movie failed the country's censorship requirements.
A scene in the Spider-Verse sequel features a poster in the background that has the transgender flag on it with a slogan reading "Protect Trans Lives." Variety reported that their sources stated that this is one of the reasons the film failed the requirements.
The film is now banned in the United Arab Emirates in a move that comes less than one week ahead of the picture's release date – June 22. However, this does follow a trend of many films featuring LGBTQ+ content being from the United Arab Emirates.
Related: Tom Holland reveals his favourite Spider-Man movie – and it's not an MCU one
Last summer, Pixar's Lightyear wasn't released in the country either as the movie featured a same-sex kiss between two lesbian space rangers. That film was also banned from Kuwait, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia for the same reasons.
Esquire reported that Across the Spider-Verse also isn't getting a release in Saudi Arabia for the same reasons as the ban in the United Arab Emirates.
The Spider-Man movie has been received well critically and commercially. The movie, which ended on a cliffhanger, has gotten great reviews and had a huge opening weekend.
Related: Across the Spider-Verse gets new version in cinemas after audio complaints
Co-director Kemp Powers recently opened up about that cliffhanger ending.
"It was really important to have this thing where Miles wants to save his dad, but then he's faced with this Pottersville version of a world that was created because of this thing that happened to him," Powers said.
"It's not going to be as simple as him wanting to just escape this world. He's going to try to do right by people who he feels he's done wrong by, and that just felt more potentially emotional and unpredictable as we go into the third film."
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is out now in cinemas.
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