Warner Bros. removed two lines of dialogue about a gay relationship for the Chinese release of its latest Harry Potter movie.
The six seconds of dialogue in "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" discussed the romance between male characters Albus Dumbledore, played by Jude Law, and Gellert Grindelwald, played by Mads Mikkelsen. The lines cut are "I was in love with you" and "the summer Gellert and I fell in love."
In a statement to CNN Business, a Warner Bros. spokesperson said it's "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." "Our hope is to release our features worldwide as released by their creators but historically we have faced small edits made in local markets," the studio said. "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."
"It's important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to experience it as well, even with these minor edits," the studio said.