Memos 
Live events & webinars 
Trend Reports
Saudi Arabia will not allow the new Spider-Man movie to be broadcast in the kingdom, authorities said on Tuesday, possibly due to its transgender content.
The official Saudi Cinema page on Twitter said on Tuesday that it will not approve any film that “contradicts content controls” in reference to the latest Spider-Man film entitled “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” The decision will remain in place unless the production companies “commit to implementing the required amendments,” according to the tweet.
This followed a Sunday tweet in which the account had written “Always get news from the official sources” above a photo of the film.
The page is run by the Saudi General Commission for Audiovisual Media.
Rumors swirled on social media recently that the film would not be shown in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi news outlet Al-Arabiya.
Whether the Spider-Man movie will be shown in other parts of the Gulf is unclear. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) listed a June 22 release date for the film in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and other countries.
The website of VOX Cinemas, one of the major cinema chains in the region, did not list the film as showing in the UAE but did list it for Egypt. The company did not immediately respond to Al-Monitor’s request for comment on Wednesday.
Empire Entertainment, which has the exclusive right to distribute Sony Pictures’ films to theaters in the Middle East, also listed the Spider-Man movie on its website as coming to theaters in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other parts of the region on June 22. Empire Entertainment likewise did not immediately respond to Al-Monitor’s request for comment on Wednesday.
VOX Cinemas told Reuters on Thursday that the film would not be shown in the UAE. VOX did not offer further details, according to the outlet.
Why it matters: Saudi authorities did not say exactly why Spider-Man will not be shown, but the decision could relate to LGBTQ content in the movie. The Gwen Stacy character in the film has a flag reading “protect trans kids” in her room — a reference to transgender children. Her father also sports a trans flag on his uniform. This has led many fans to view the character as a trans rights hero, Vox reported last week.
Several issues of censorship of LGBTQ-themed content have occurred in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Gulf. In June of 2022, several countries in the region banned the animated film “Lightyear” due to a same-sex kissing scene. The same month, Saudi state media ran a report alleging that rainbow-colored toys promote homosexuality.
Last September, the Gulf Cooperation Council accused the US streaming giant Netflix of showing content that “contradicts Islamic values.”
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Saudi Arabia and throughout much of the Middle East due to the predominant conservative Islamic culture. The laws are not always enforced.
Interestingly, the official Saudi tourism website says that LGBTQ tourists are "welcome" to visit Saudi Arabia, as Al-Monitor reported in May.
Know more: The Saudi film industry could grow significantly in the near future, as Riyadh is committed to using its vast wealth to turn the kingdom into a production powerhouse, Sam Wendel wrote in a memo for Al-Monitor PRO earlier this month.
Editor's note: this article was updated on June 15, 2023 to include information on "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" not being shown in the UAE.
