WB Censors Gay Dialogue In Fantastic Beasts 3's China Release

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, due for a stateside release on April 15, has been censored in China to remove references to a gay relationship between Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). News.com.au was the first to report on the changes to the film for the Chinese market--the removal of six seconds of the movie's 142-minute runtime.

"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," Warner Bros. said in a statement. "Our hope is to release our features worldwide as released by their creators but historically we have faced small edits made in local markets… 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 spirit of the film remains intact."

The lines cut from the film are, "because I was in love with you" and "the summer Gellert and I fell in love."

Harry Potter author JK Rowling revealed that Dumbledore was gay in 2009, but the films based on the books have not explicitly referenced the character's sexuality until this upcoming Fantastic Beasts film. Since the highly successful run of the original Harry Potter books, Rowling herself has become a problematic figure exhibiting discriminatory behavior, frequently offering public support of anti-transgender rhetoric.

According to Variety, The Secrets of Dumbledore outperformed every other film upon opening last weekend in China. Converted into US dollars, the film there took in roughly $9.7 million--a massive take considering all movies in Chinese theaters combined generated $15.5 million for the weekend.

With this decision by Warner Bros., Fantastic Beasts becomes the latest in a long line of Western works that have been censored by China. Earlier this year, Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk surprised audiences by insisting China's change to the ending of the film adaptation is closer to the final moments of his book. Last year, Disney+ dropped an episode of The Simpsons set in Hong Kong.

In advance of the film's stateside release on April 15, Variety reports that The Secrets of Dumbledore will be make-or-break for the franchise. Warner Bros. executives are reportedly waiting to see how this film performs before greenlighting a fourth film--for which there is not yet a script.