Jun 16, 2023

"Beyond the Spider-Verse" was pulled from the Middle East exhibition schedule

Mile Morales won't be swung to cinemas in several countries in the Middle East after Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse was pulled from the region-wide release schedule.

We were not given a reason for the film to be removed from the upcoming schedule, but there is speculation that it is related to a poster on Gwen's wall."Please protect Trans kids.

The film is intended to be shown in theaters in the Gulf Region on 6/22, and more recently pre-orders for tickets were still provided by exhibitor Vox last Sunday.

However, the company told Reuters on Thursday that the film will not be released in the UAE. Other major movie chains in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, including Vox, Novo and Reel cinemas, do not list movies in the upcoming promotion area on their websites or social media accounts.

On Monday, the UAE Media Council tweeted (translated by Google):

Disclaimer: The Emirates Media Council will monitor and evaluate media content circulating locally and ensure that the Council does not permit the distribution or publication of content that is contrary to UAE values and principles and the standards of media content valid in the country.

No specific title was mentioned in the tweet.

Last summer, Pixar's Lightyear was banned in several Middle East regions for including blink-and-you-miss-it same-sex kisses. Across the Gulf region, the film was also pulled from Disney+, along with other content that did not meet the regulatory standards of some countries.

Disney predicted distribution difficulties in areas where films featuring LGBTQIA+ characters and stories had been banned in the past, and actively chose to skip a number of markets in last year's Strange World featuring gay protagonists.