Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse banned in UAE; likely due to ‘Protect Trans Lives’ poster

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has given a much-needed box-office boost in several countries. However, the movie won’t be released in the UAE. The film has been banned in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a week ahead of its intended release on June 22. Last year, Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear did not get release in the country due to the same-sex kiss scene. The spin-off was also banned from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Malaysia.

As reported by Variety, sources said, “A scene featuring a poster in the background of the frame that depicts the transgender flag and reads ‘Protect Trans Lives' is said to be one of the concerns that prevented a release from being approved.”

Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

Sony Pictures Entertainment India released Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on June 2, 2023, in India.

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