Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.
Topics: TV And Film, Harry Potter, News
Gregory Robinson
Warning. This article contains spoilers
Fantastic Beasts fans across the world have long-awaited the reveal of Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s romance in the new film, The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Fans in China, however, will get an abbreviated version of their love story after Warner Bros. removed dialogue about their relationship to ensure the film could be released in the country.
Advert
A spokesperson from Warner Bros. confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the fundamental lines, which amount to six seconds in the film’s 143-minute duration, have been removed to avoid upsetting the Chinese government.
Dumbledore, who is played by Jude Law, says: “I was in love with you” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love”.
The ground-breaking lines mark the first time Dumbledore’s sexuality has been addressed in canon.
Harry Potter author and Fantastic Beasts screenwriter J.K. Rowling confirmed in a interview for the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald BluRay release that Dumbledore and Grindelwald had an “incredibly intense” relationship.
She also previously confirmed that Dumbledore was gay.
People who identify as LGBT in China face legal and social challenges. There are no anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBT people and same-sex couples are unable to marry or adopt. Households headed by same-sex couples do not receive the same legal protection as straight couples.
The Chinese government only permits a small number of foreign films to be officially released in the country each year and the films that do get approved are often subject to censorship.
In 2016, the quota for the number of western movies permitted for release in China was 34, according to The Guardian.
In 2020, China overtook North America to become the biggest box office territory in the world and it is not unusual for film studios to tweak their films to ensure they can be released and go on to recoup costs through high ticket sales.
The statement released by Warner Bros. to The Hollywood Reporter says: “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.”