To satisfy the Chinese authorities, Warner Bros. stated that certain dialogue from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has been omitted.
Clear references to Albus Dumbledore’s (Jude Law) and Gellert Grindelwald’s (Mads Mikkelsen) romantic past have been removed by the studio.
For the first time in the Harry Potter franchise, the phrases “I was in love with you” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love” formally establish that the beloved Hogwarts professor is gay and had a romantic relationship with the Dark Wizard.
The cuts are only six seconds long, but they are crucial in creating the characters in the 143-minute film.
“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 said in a statement to THR. “Our hope is to release our features worldwide as released by their creators but historically we have faced small edits made in local markets. 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. 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 Secrets of Dumbledore has already premiered in China, where it was the highest-grossing film during its first weekend. Because the country’s theatres are closed due to the current Covid-19 outbreak, the film’s total was lower than it would have been (only $9.7 million).
J.K. Rowling, the film’s producer and co-screenwriter, shocked fans in 2007 when she revealed Dumbledore is gay during a fan event following the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The last Fantastic Beasts film, The Crimes of Grindelwald, hinted at the relationship, but the wizard didn’t express it explicitly until the next film.
