Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Film)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, released in 2023, is an American animated film in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, adventure, and action. It is a sequel to the 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, with a screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham. The story follows an elite team composed of Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and various Spider-People from alternate universes as they battle a new threat endangering the multiverse.

^{Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse poster (}IMDB⁾

The story begins in Earth-65, where Police Captain George Stacy attempts to capture his daughter Gwen Stacy, whom he holds responsible for Peter Parker’s death. When Gwen reveals her identity to her father, he tries to arrest her. During this confrontation, Gwen escapes her universe with the help of Miguel O’Hara and Jess Drew, joining the Spider-Society, an elite strike force dedicated to safeguarding the multiverse.

On Earth-1610, sixteen months after the explosion of the Alchemax Collider, Miles Morales struggles to adjust to high school life and his identity as a superhero. He encounters The Spot (Johnathon Ohnn), an Alchemax scientist whose body became covered in portals during the explosion, granting him the ability to travel between dimensions. Blaming Miles for his condition and lost life, The Spot embarks on a journey across the multiverse to harness other Alchemax Colliders to grow stronger^【1】.

^{Scene from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (}IMDB⁾

Pursuing The Spot, Gwen travels to Earth-1610 and reunites with Miles. Together, they travel to Earth-50101 (Mumbattan), where they join forces with the local Spider-People Pavitr Prabhakar and Hobie Brown (Spider-Punk) to fight The Spot. However, The Spot destroys the Collider and escapes. This destruction damages the fabric of Earth-50101 and causes the unraveling of so-called “canon events.”

^{Scene from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (}IMDB⁾

Miles and his team travel to the Spider-Society headquarters on Earth-928, led by Miguel O’Hara. Miguel explains that every Spider-Person across the multiverse must experience certain unchangeable “canon events,” including tragic deaths. Miles discovers that his father, Jefferson Davis, who is set to be promoted to police captain, will die in two days. When Miles attempts to save him, Miguel tries to imprison him. Miguel also reveals that Miles is an original anomaly: the spider that bit him originated from Earth-42, which is why Earth-1610 lacks its own true Peter Parker.

^{Scene from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (}IMDB⁾

With Hobie’s help, Miles escapes and uses a machine that analyzes genetic DNA to return to his home dimension. However, the machine reads the spider’s DNA instead of Miles’s own, transporting him to Earth-42. In this universe, his father is dead, his uncle Aaron Davis is alive, and the version of Miles here has taken on the identity of Prowler. Meanwhile, Gwen returns to Earth-1610, discovers Miles is gone, reconciles with her father, and assembles a team—comprising Peter B. Parker, Mayday, Pavitr, Hobie, Margo Kess, Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker, and Spider-Ham—to find him.

^{Scene from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (}IMDB⁾

During development, the film underwent several title and vision changes. Initially known as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, it was renamed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Part One in 2021. In 2022, the phrase “Part One” was removed from the title to establish the final name. The release date was first announced as April 8, 2022, then updated successively to October 2022 and finally to June 2, 2023.

^{Scene from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (}IMDB⁾

One of the most notable aspects of the animation process is the sequence set in Earth-13122 (the Lego universe), which was animated by 14-year-old Preston Mutanga, who recreated the entire film’s trailer in Lego style. Additionally, during its theatrical run, at least three different versions of the film were released, featuring minor changes in dialogue, editing, scenes, and sound mixing. After reports of original audio issues, a revised version with additional changes was released for digital streaming on August 8, 2023.

The original English voice cast for the film includes:

^{Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse poster (}IMDB⁾

• Shameik Moore: Miles Morales
• Hailee Steinfeld: Gwen Stacy
• Oscar Isaac: Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099)
• Jake Johnson: Peter B. Parker
• Issa Rae: Jessica Drew (Earth-332)
• Brian Tyree Henry: Jefferson Davis
• Daniel Kaluuya: Hobart “Hobie” Brown (Spider-Punk)
• Karan Soni: Pavitr Prabhakar (Spider-Man India)
• Jason Schwartzman: The Spot / Johnathon Ohnn
• Shea Whigham: George Stacy
• Jorma Taccone: Vulture
• Luna Lauren Velez: Rio Morales
• Mahershala Ali: Aaron Davis

^{Scene from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (}IMDB⁾

Made with an estimated budget of $100 million, the film earned a worldwide total of $690,824,738^【2】. In the United States and Canada, it opened with $120,663,589 and ultimately grossed $381,593,754 in that region.

Distributed in Türkiye by TME Films, the film attracted 103,621 viewers in its opening weekend, earning ₺10,261,895. After 33 weeks in theaters, its total viewership in Türkiye reached 566,634 and its total box office revenue reached ₺52,465,932^【3】.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has won and been nominated for numerous awards across categories including animation, editing, music, and visual effects^【4】.

^{Scene from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (}IMDB⁾

• Academy Awards (Oscars): Nominated for Best Animated Feature.
• BAFTA Awards: Nominated for Best Animated Film and Best Original Music (Daniel Pemberton).
• Golden Globe Awards: Nominated for Best Animated Feature, Best Original Music, and Box Office Achievement.
• Saturn Awards: Won Best Animated Film; nominated for Best Music^【5】.
• Annie Awards: Won seven awards: Best Animated Feature, Character Design, Directing, Music, Production Design, Editing, and Effects.
• Critics’ Choice Awards: Won Best Animated Feature; nominated for Music and Visual Effects.
• AFI (American Film Institute) Awards: Named Movie of the Year.
• PGA (Producers Guild of America) Awards: Won the award for Best Animated Motion Picture Producer.
• Also honored by organizations including the American Cinema Editors (Eddie), the Visual Effects Society (VES), and the American Society of Cinematographers^【6】.