Challenges for 'Spider-Man' in the Middle East; UAE to Not Screen New Animation

The release of the new animated film 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' produced by Sony in the Middle East has faced challenges. According to Reuters, the cinema chain 'Vox' announced on Thursday without any explanation that the United Arab Emirates would not screen the animation. This animation has sparked heated discussions on social media among supporters and opponents in the region due to its presentation of certain transgender themes in the story. This work is a sequel to 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,' which was released in 2018. The new animation began screening in the United States on June 2 and was scheduled to be shown in Gulf countries starting June 22. The Vox cinema chain, a subsidiary of the Majid Al Futtaim group, responded to an inquiry on this matter via Facebook Messenger, stating that the animation would not be screened in the UAE. The Majid Al Futtaim group did not respond to requests for comment on this issue. Major cinema chains in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain have also not listed this animation in their upcoming screening schedules. Hailee Steinfeld, the voice actress for the character Gwen Stacy in this film, has sparked much debate regarding whether Gwen Stacy, one of the story's characters, is transgender, and one of the scenes in the trailer features a sign in the background that reads: 'Protect Trans Kids.' Reuters has yet to determine if this issue is the reason for the animation's non-release in the UAE. The UAE Media Council announced on Twitter on Monday that it would 'not allow the release of content contrary to the values and principles of this country and its media content standards.' The council did not provide further explanations or refer to any specific case. In the conservative Middle East, any 'deviation' from traditional sexual and gender norms is considered a form of taboo and is criminalized in many countries. A Saudi citizen, expressing support for the non-screening of the animation, stated, 'We do not want to show the next generation that these things are normal. This is not natural; our religion says that we only have male and female genders.' Another young person mentioned that the non-screening of the animation in Saudi Arabia is an internal decision and that 'it is our right to express our opinion.' Although it appears that this animation will not be screened in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, officials and government entities in these countries have not yet officially confirmed this matter. Kuwait also states that it has not yet reviewed this work. The UAE banned the screening of the Disney-Pixar animated film 'Lightyear' in June 2022 due to the portrayal of LGBTQ characters. At that time, the UAE's Ministry of Culture and Youth stated that this animation 'violated the media content standards of the country.' The voice actors of the main characters in the animation 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' is one of Sony's most successful works, grossing over $120 million at the box office in its opening week and still topping charts in many countries worldwide. This article is based on a report by Reuters.