NextSharkNextShark.com

Warner Bros. censors gay relationship dialogue in ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ for China release

Warner Bros. censors gay relationship dialogue in ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ for China release

Warner Bros. has accepted China’s request to remove dialogue that alludes to a gay relationship in “Fantastic Beasts.”

April 12, 2022
SHARE
Warner Bros. has accepted China’s request to remove dialogue that alludes to a gay relationship in the upcoming film “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”
The six seconds of dialogue, which references the romantic past between the male characters Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, was removed from the film’s total runtime of 142 minutes. The lines “because I was in love with you” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love” were edited out upon China’s request. 
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” is the third installment in the “Fantastic Beasts” series. It follows the story of Dumbledore as he attempts to stop antagonist Grindelwald from taking over the wizarding world.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

Although the dialogue lines were excluded from the film’s release in China, Warner Bros. claimed that “the spirit of the film remains intact.”
“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,” Warner Bros. said in a statement. “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.”
Author J.K. Rowling revealed at a 2007 fan event for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” that Dumbledore identifies as gay. The character’s sexual orientation was not referenced in previous “Fantastic Beast” installments but has been revealed for the first time in the newest film.
The film was released in China on April 8 and topped the box office, earning $9.7 million in the first three days. The U.S. is expected to release the film in theaters on April 15.
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Rebecca Moon

      Rebecca Moon is a contributor at NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.