Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: why are people complaining about film's sound? What has been said

The highly anticipated new animated Spider-Man movie has finally been released in cinema but some fans have been left complaining about "hard to hear" dialogue.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the sequel to 2018's Oscar winning Into the Spider-Verse and sees the return of Miles Morales and many other Spider-People. Favourites such as Spider-Gwen and Peter B Parker have returned while Oscar Isaac joins the cast as Miguel O'Hara/ Spider-Man 2099.

The animated movie, which is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, is the second in a planned trilogy. It is set to be followed by 2024's Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Fans have eagerly awaited the film's arrival and while it has been receiving critical acclaim, there have been concerns about the sound-mixing. It is a problem not limited to cinemas with TV views often complaining about mumbled or muffled dialogue on BBC dramas.

Dialogue 'hard to hear' for some fans

One user posted: "Amongst my gushing, I will say that the three times I've seen Across the Spider-Verse, at 3 different theaters, the opening narration in particular has sounded low and fairly difficult to make out. Not sure if it's a sound mix issue, a theater volume issue, or a bit of both?"

Another added: "Was the sound mixing in across the spider-verse bad or was it just my theater? At some points it was hard to hear what some of the characters were saying."

A person wrote on Twitter: "Across the Spiderverse is a 5/5 movie and is one of the best animated films of all time but holy shit the sound mix might be the worst i’ve ever heard in a film."

One user advised: "FYI: There are sound issues with Across The Spider-Verse. If your cinema’s volume sounds too low at the start, go tell someone! Theaters know there are issues with the sound mix but you may still have to speak up for yourself. Don’t sit through a movie you can’t hear properly!"

What has been said about the complaints?

Phil Lord, the writer and producer of the movie, took to Twitter to address fans queries about the sound-mixing. He wrote: "ikely not playing at spec (7)... but houses do vary. And often in full houses sound plays shockingly different than at the QC. We did favor music to get your heart racing."

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was released in UK cinemas on 2 June - after preview screenings the night before in some places on 1 June. The third film in the trilogy Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is slated for released on 29 March, 2024.