Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now available to stream as video-on-demand. The second chapter in fledgling Miles Morales’ multiversal escapades is now available for renting and purchase across Apple TV, Youtube Movies, Amazon Prime Video, and Zee5. Out of these, only Apple TV offers the premium Ultra HD version with Dolby Atmos audio, albeit there’s only the option for purchase at Rs. 490. An SD (standard definition) version is also available at Rs. 390, and both of them come with subtitles in several languages. On YouTube Movies, the film starts at Rs. 590 for the SD version and Rs. 820 for the 1080p full-HD print — neither platform has options to rent.
Renting Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is only possible on Amazon Prime Video and Zee5, though pricing on the former is a bit strange. Both SD and HD versions are listed for Rs. 399, which doesn’t make too much sense, as the customer would rather opt for higher quality — provided they have the internet bandwidth to support it, that is. Meanwhile, the version on Zee5 doesn’t mention what version you’ll get, but seeing the Rs. 349 price tag and its targeted audience being Indians (regional pricing), I’m inclined to believe that it will be HD quality. The platform also offers audio in 10 regional languages — same as theatrical — ranging between English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, Punjabi, and Gujarati.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse dominated the box office, collecting $683.8 million (about Rs. 56,62 crore) globally and setting a milestone as the highest-grossing Sony Pictures Animation film. If the numbers and reviews aren’t convincing enough, IGN has exclusively dropped the first 10 minutes of the film, which should give you a general vibe of the film. In it, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), now reunited with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), is catapulted across the multiverse and trapped amongst an interdimensional web of Spider-People to solve a major conspiracy. When leader Miguel O’Hara/ Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) comes up with a dangerous choice to save the multiverse, Miles rejects it, spawning an all-out war in which he leaps across dimensions, getting mauled by a Spider-Cat and more.
The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) appears to be the mysterious force behind the multiverse’s doom, thanks to his special abilities that let him open and travel across portals. Other key players include Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk, Issa Rae as Jessica Drew/ Spider-Woman, and Jake Johnson as the original Spider-Man/ Peter Parker. Meanwhile, Karan Soni voices Pavitr Prabhakar/ Spider-Man India, whose universe Mumbattan is presented through a watercolour style mimicking old Indian comic books. There’s a total of six main art styles in the film, in addition to the wacky doodle sketches that add a ton more personality.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now available as VOD on YouTube Movies, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Zee5. It’s also still playing in select theatres across the country.