The new animated Spider-Man film, which had been scheduled for release in the Gulf region on June 22, has been removed from lists of upcoming film releases in the United Arab Emirates. Major cinema chains in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain also do not list the movie on the “coming soon” sections of their websites.
The new film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, no longer features in the upcoming releases of three major Gulf cinema chains: VOX Cinemas, Roxy Cinemas, and Reel Cinemas. A sequel to 2018’s Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the film was released in the United States on June 2 and had been set for release in the Gulf on June 22.
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Although no explanation was offered for the removal, the UAE Media Council said on Twitter on Monday that it would “not allow the circulation or publication of content contrary to the values and principles of the UAE and the standards of media content in force in the country.”
In many Middle Eastern countries, any deviation from traditional sexual norms is considered taboo and even criminal.
The new film has sparked online debate over its treatment of transgender themes. In particular, there has been discussion over whether the character Gwen Stacy is transgender, and over a scene in which a sign in the background reads “Protect trans kids.”
In June 2022, the UAE banned Walt Disney-Pixar’s animated feature film Lightyear because it featured characters in a same-sex relationship, saying the film “violated the nation’s media content standard.”