Belgian movie theaters are screening Spider-Man in Ukrainian

©Hakan Nural via Unsplash

This coming Sunday, Kinepolis will screen the blockbuster “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” in a Ukrainian-dubbed version at several locations across Belgium. The initiative comes in response to a request from the Ukrainian community in Belgium, which has grown since the Russian invasion in 2022.

“About three years after the war with Russia began, the Ukrainian community asked if we could screen Ukrainian films,” Stijn Vanspauwen of Kinepolis Belgium told Het Nieuwsblad. Over the past two years, the cinema chain has already screened about ten animated films in Ukrainian, such as“Zootropolis,”“Minions & Monsters,”“PAW Patrol: Dino Movie,” and “Lilo & Stitch.” Incidentally, the most recent “Toy Story” is still playing in a Ukrainian version. With the dubbed version of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Kinepolis is now testing for the first time whether an adult blockbuster in Ukrainian is profitable. The screenings, without subtitles, are scheduled for Ghent, Brussels, and Antwerp, among other cities, on Sunday mornings at 10:45 a.m. “We’ve noticed that people want to keep their language alive this way,” said Vanspauwen.

The Ukrainian version has already sold about fifty tickets, which Kinepolis considers a promising start. If the test is successful, the chain plans to systematically expand its selection of dubbed films. The Ukrainian community in Belgium consists of thousands of people living under temporary protection in various cities. Kinepolis emphasizes that the initiative is part of a broader effort to serve diverse communities. Previously, the cinema chain also organized special screenings of Ukrainian productions, such as the sci-fi film“Ty – Kosmos,” in eight cities.

©Hakan Nural via Unsplash - illustrative image