The latest film of the 'Despicable Me' franchise 'Minions: The Rise of Gru', which released in China on Friday, had its ending changed for the country's audience. This isn't the first time the Chinese censors have altered a film which was released in the country. Last year, Chinese viewers had called out the change of ending of the cult favourite film 'Fight Club' featuring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.
Weibo, the Chinese social media equivalent of Twitter, was abuzz with users pointing out the change in the Minions movie, reported BBC. 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' follows antihero Gru through his adolescence and sets the stage for his evolution to a superhero later in the film. Social media users of Weibo shared posts and screenshots of the film and called out the Chinese version of the ending which does not show Gru and his mentor Knuckles riding off into the sunset, as was intended by the original Hollywood film.
In the Chinese version, the Knuckles character is jailed as Gru has a change of heart and becomes a good person in the end, said a BBC report. DuSir, a popular movie blogger with more than 14 million followers on Weibo, called the changes in the 'Minions' film 'outrageous'. In an article, he questioned why only Chinese people needed 'special guidance and care'.
According to reports, the Chinese censors added a series of subtitled still images into the credits sequence which relate a totally different story. In it, Wild Knuckles was caught and jailed for 20 years after a failed heist. Knuckles also discovers a 'passion for acting' and sets up his own theater group.
Gru, meanwhile returned to his family, and being a father to three girls becomes his well-known achievement.
Despite the changes, 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' has managed to create a box office record on the Chinese box office on its opening day. The film collected 21.74 million yuan ($3.2 million; £2.7 million) , reported Deadline.