China has cut a scene in Michael Fassbender’s “Alien: Covenant” where the actor kissed another version of himself, disappointing moviegoers who might now resort to pirated film copies just to see the “critical” moment.
The sci-fi thriller, which opened in China on Friday, lost about six minutes of sequences, including a scene where a xenomorph alien goes on a killing spree.
The gay scene, which involved two of Fassbender’s cyborg characters — Walter and David — kissing, turned out to be such an important moment that its censorship is seen as more jarring than other cuts before. Yu, an advertising agency employee in Shanghai, told The Hollywood Reporter:
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“For the other missing parts, you don’t notice or know when it happens, but you can really feel something is missing where the gay kiss is supposed to be.”
Until 2001, China considered homosexuality as a psychiatric disorder. Its position on gay-themed entertainment material remains blurry, however, considering that it allowed the “gay moment” in Disney’s recent live-action “Beauty and the Beast” to run on theaters without censorship.
People’s Daily tweeted at the time:
“Controversial gay moment kept in Disney’s #BeautyAndTheBeast… requires no guidance for minor audience.”
Still, the cuts didn’t seem to hurt “Alien: Covenant” so much financially, as it earned a decent $10.2 million on its opening day, followed by $10.4 million on Saturday and $7.09 million on Sunday, Variety reported.
