References to a gay relationship in the new 'Fantastic Beasts' movie have been cut for its release in China
- Warner Bros. cut gay dialogue from "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" in China.
- A Warner Bros. spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter that "the spirit of the film remains intact."
Warner Bros. confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that it has removed dialogue that explicitly confirms a gay relationship in "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" for the movie's release in China.
Warning: Light spoilers ahead for "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."
The third film in the "Fantastic Beasts" series finally confirms on-screen that Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) shared a romantic past, and includes lines in which the characters reference that they had been in love.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, cuts of lines like "I was in love with you" and "the summer Gellert and I fell in love" that reference the romantic love between the two men amount to six seconds out of the film's 143 minutes.
"As a studio, we're committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film we release, and that extends to circumstances that necessitate making nuanced cuts in order to respond sensitively to a variety of in-market factors," a Warner Bros. spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement.
"In the case of 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,' a six-second cut was requested and Warner Bros. accepted those changes to comply with local requirements but the spirit of the film remains intact," the statement reads. "We want audiences everywhere in the world to see and enjoy this film, and it's important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to experience it as well, even with these minor edits."
The third 'Fantastic Beasts' movie marks the first time Dumbledore's sexuality has been explicitly addressed on-screen
"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, who produced the film and served as a co-screenwriter, first said that she had always considered Dumbledore to be gay in 2007. However, the character's sexuality — or the romantic element of his past with Grindelwald — has never directly appeared in the franchise. "The Secrets of Dumbledore" marks the first time that either Dumbledore or Grindelwald has explicitly referenced their romantic past, or sexuality.
"Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" was released in China on Friday, and it dominated the weekend box office, Variety reported. It earned approximately $9.7 million in China between Friday and Sunday, making up the largest portion of the weekend's $15.5 million at the weekend box office, falling in line with low weekend totals amid ongoing COVID-related restrictions and a lockdown in Shanghai, Variety reported.
This isn't the first time China's censors have removed references to homosexuality in Western media. According to The Guardian, the sitcom "Friends" was stripped of its lesbian relationship storyline for its re-release in China. And in 2019, China deleted at least 10 scenes from the Oscar-winning Freddie Mercury biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" that had gay references, the Associated Press reported.