Screenshot from Nope official trailer. Credit Universal Pictures, YouTube

**Warning – Spoilers ahead for Nope**

Fans of Jordan Peele’s work should know by now that the director’s movies are packed with symbolism, some more subtle than others.

A perfect example of this is in Peele’s latest film Nope, where a shoe standing on end has become a talking point amongst viewers.

Written and directed by Jordan Peele, the science fiction horror comedy Nope stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun, following residents of a remote town who witness strange happenings occurring in the sky that may be related to extraterrestrials.

During a flashback scene, a young Jupe (Jacob Kim) is on the set of the television show Gordy’s Home, when the star chimpanzee suddenly decides to brutally attack the cast.

Jupe moves to hide under a table while the freak attack plays out and viewers will notice the camera focusing on a single shoe that is strangely standing up in the air.

The present-day reveals that adult Jupe kept the shoe and displayed it in a box in his home, however, the shoe is never discussed.

Fans of Nope were so adamant to get to the bottom of the shoe’s significance that one user offered a $1 to anyone who could explain its meaning – the user also stated that they would increase the offer by $1 per day.

A few viewers suggested that the shoe symbolized another bad omen, highlighting the unlikelihood of a shoe standing on end.

It’s another bad miracle, the probability of a shoe standing up like that is rare but it did and which distracted the chimpanzee, Gordy saving Jupe’s life, at least that’s the best explanation I can give

I wonder if the seemingly inexplicable vertical standing shoe in NOPE was in someway inspired by the Twilight Zone episode A Penny For Your Thoughts (Nope Spoilers and Strained Reaching for Meaning below) pic.twitter.com/tQxMcMtRmQ

The general consensus leans towards the shoe being another representation of a bad miracle, as discussed by ScreenCrush.

The chances of a shoe sitting up in that way are slim to none and these unlikely odds are a callback to OJ’s talk of “bad miracles” that cannot be explained.

Another theory points to Nope’s recurring theme of fixation, whereby a phenomenon usually provokes people to stare at it, which is exactly what you shouldn’t do when the UFO monster is about.

Young Jupe is seen starring at the shoe because it is a spectacle, which is exactly what makes him a target later in the film when the monster is about.

By Jo Craig – [email protected]

Nope is now showing in theaters in the US and will release on Friday, August 12, 2022, in the UK.

In other news, Marvel unveils precious real-life Infinity Stones worth jaw-dropping $25 million