Sony's CG-animated blockbuster Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will be leaving Netflix this Friday, December 25. The critically-acclaimed film, which introduced Miles Morales and the multiverse to the masses, doesn't yet have a new home, so it's unclear where fans will be able to stream it once it leaves Netflix.
One option for fans is to simply purchase it. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is available to purchase digitally for around $10 on platforms like iTunes, Amazon Video and Vudu. But as Polygon warns, even buying Into the Spider-Verse digitally doesn't ensure it won't be removed from a platform and, in turn, your personal library with the way digital licensing works.
The safest way to ensure you'll have Into the Spider-Verse forever is to buy the physical Blu-ray. Of course, even that's not as simple anymore. It used to be anyone with an Xbox or PlayStation could play Blu-rays but now the companies have launched disc-less consoles as a cheaper alternative. You can still find consoles that can play Blu-ray -- the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 -- but it seems we're moving closer and closer to an all-digital future. If that's the case, it will require users to keep a closer eye on streaming service libraries to know exactly where to find their favorite films/series.
Into the Spider-Verse will likely find a new platform to call home, but so far nothing has been announced by Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc. Sony did recently acquire Crunchyroll but it's doubtful to wind up there as the platform focuses on anime and manga.
Into the Spider-Verse's removal from Netflix isn't anything new, but the suddenness of its departure is surprising. The streaming service consistently shuffles its lineup as licensing deals expire and its library of licensed content is shrinking as the focus shifts more towards original series and films -- and as other companies launch their own streaming services.