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The multiverse has become a familiar premise at the multiplex. But the makers of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” went exponential, loading the animated sequel with 150 different variations of the web-slinging superhero. In one sequence, the mob converging from different dimensions includes a cat, a car and a dinosaur all in Spidey regalia. The history of this plot device goes way back in the world of comic books. Characters in “Across the Spider-Verse” have met before in the title hero’s comic books published over six decades. The movie incorporates a dizzying cross-section of visual styles from those pages in its hyperkinetic animation. Sony Pictures Producers and co-writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller said they used the multiplicity of Spider-Man to zero in on the identity quest of their main character, 15-year-old Miles Morales of Brooklyn. “He’s basically trying to assert his uniqueness amongst throngs, so there had to be a lot of them,” said Lord. Sony Pictures The Spider-Man Whose Muscles Have Muscles Ben Reilly (aka Scarlet Spider) hails from a polarizing run of Spider-Man comics in the 1990s that Marvel published under the title “Clone Saga,” which speaks to its level of plot chaos. He’s a Peter Parker duplicate with identity issues and a muscles-on-muscles look that reigned in Gen X-era comics. Sony Pictures The Spider-Man Who Could Get a Parking Ticket In the 1960s, Spider-Man was given a vehicle to help him keep up with the popularity of the Batmobile. A ru...

Sony’s ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ far exceeded projections in the $80-million range. ‘You never want to underestimate Spider-Man,’ says one analyst. Rounding out the top three movies in the United States and Canada this weekend was Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” which earned $22.8 million in its third weekend for a North American cumulative of $228.8 million, Comscore reported. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” slightly exceeded Don’t worry, it was a short drop. Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback are trapped in the seventh installment of the franchise, a lurching, sputtering vehicle spewing profoundly silly Autobot-lore. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., “Rise of the Beasts” introduces the fan-favorite Autobots to a new league of Transformers called the Maximals. Set in the 1990s, the period film stars Anthony Ramos of “In the Heights” and Dominique Fishback of “Swarm.” The latest “Transformers” movie received a mediocre 53% rotten rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and an A-minus grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore. “It took five screenwriters to come up with this utter nonsense that has all the dramatic intrigue and emotional depth of a ‘Transformers’ Saturday morning cartoon,” writes film critic Katie Walsh for Tribune News Service. “‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ feels like a film that is at war with itself as Caple Jr. tries to balance character work with the profoundly silly Autobot lore ... Unable to rise abo...

By Daron James When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released five years ago, its web of 2D and 3D animation became a box office hit and went on to win the Oscar for est animated feature. Incredibly, the return of Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) in Across the Spider-Verse has lived up to the hype, earning over $270 million worldwide in ticket sales (at the time of publication). Visually, the sequel continues to marry artistic styles to make it feel as if a comic book has come to life, but this time around, there is more of it. A lot more. The story is bigger, more villainous, and a heck of a lot more Spider-y. Thankfully, the emotional arc doesn’t get lost in the multiverse – it’s only Miles who physically gets trapped and tries to sling and swing his way out. The new story brought in a fresh trio of directors (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson) and behind-the-scenes creatives to reinvigorate the success of the original. “They wanted something entirely fresh,” says character designer Kris Anka about the approach to the visual language. “The whole thinking was just because the animation of the first film was good doesn’t mean it can’t be better.” Anka was one of several character designers on Across the Spider-Verse and oversaw the creation of Miguel (voiced by Oscar Isaac), a Spider-Man-like superhero responsible for producing the multiverse travel technology that has Miles and Gwen (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), along with new characters, Spi...