“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” has become a massive hit since it debuted in theaters at the beginning of June. The film, which stars Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, has made over $500 million worldwide and has spawned tons of new spider-fans. However, it’s possible that if you and your besties saw the movie at different times, you actually may have watched two different versions of the same film.
News about the different film events first broke when fans on TikTok noticed that in one scene Miguel O’Hara (voiced by Oscar Isaac) and his AI assistant Lyla (Greta Lee) have two different interactions. In one version of the movie, Lyla takes a selfie with Miguel using a bunny filter. In the other, she points at him. Andy Leviton, an associate editor on the film, confirmed the two different versions in a June 22 tweet, writing, “I was wondering when people might start noticing…” Viewers on Reddit also started to compile more differences that theatergoers spotted.
The next question, of course, is why are there two versions? We still don’t really know. Early in the movie’s run, some audiences complained that the audio at the beginning of the film was hard to hear, and Variety confirmed on June 9 that Sony sent theaters new versions of the film with fixed sound. Did that fixed sound version also have these visual changes, or were two different versions purposefully put out? And which version will eventually make its way to home release and streaming? Fans will have to wait and see.
“Across the Spider-Verse” is the sequel to the Oscar-winning 2018 film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” A third film, “Beyond the Spider-Verse,” is scheduled for next year, though some have cast doubt that it will be ready for its March release date. Fans on social media have come up with lots of theories about the third installment, but they’ll have to wait and see if they come true.
In a December 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lord and Miller explained the decision to churn two films out of this particular franchise title. “Miles’ story is an epic,” the pair told the outlet. “We wrote what we thought the story needed to be, and to our surprise, we realized it was two movies instead of one.”
Read ahead for more details on “Across the Spider-Verse,” including the voice cast, plot, streaming date, and more.
Related: Bring Miles, Gwen, and the Spider-Verse Gang Into Your World With This Merch
