Credit: Sony Pictures Animation / Marvel StudiosSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) is one of the most critically acclaimed and highest-grossing animated movies in recent history. It follows the story of webslinger Miles Morales and his crime-fighting partner Gwen Stacy as they deal with the multiversal troubles first introduced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Across the Spider-Verse takes the groundbreaking animation style from the original and adds more layers to its complex web of storytelling and art direction.
Recently, fans complained that the sound mixing of the movie made some parts and, in particular, some characters hard to understand in theaters. Most of the complaints were lodged against the new character Hobbie Brown, whose thick London accent and lingo made it especially hard for viewers to follow. Sony quickly addressed this by sending a second cut of the movie to theaters, promising a better sound mix. However, it was around this time that viewers began to notice that multiple scenes now had different dialogue or even entirely different animations.
The first example came up when the first version of the movie had a quick and cute selfie joke which was changed entirely. Other changes include multiple lines from villains to Miles’ father all being similar but different when compared to the original version. Fans have taken to Twitter to speculate on possible differences between the films, leading to an actual confirmation. The film’s editor Andrew Leviton confirmed on Twitter that there were indeed different versions in theaters saying “I was wondering when people might start noticing…”.
I was wondering when people might start noticing… https://t.co/E6G9tUXmDE
— Andy! Leviton (@AlliterAndy) June 23, 2023
As of now there seems to be only two confirmed cuts of the movie that have made it to theaters with no way of knowing which one will be shown. This revelation has sparked fan investigations and multiple viewings in order to discover all the differences between the two versions. While Sony may be enjoying the side effect of repeat viewers, there has also been some worry over which cut will become the “official” Across the Spider-Verse to make it to streaming and physical media.
As the final installment of the trilogy, Beyond the Spider-Verse has been all but confirmed not to be releasing next year, it’s unclear if any of the changes will make a major difference in the overall story. It seems to be a gimmick to tie into the multiverse focus of the film, with different minor events happening across several versions of the film.
Have you seen the movie more than once? If so, were they the same version or were there differences? Share your experience with Inside the Magic!