‘Fight Club’ Ending Restored In China Following Backlash In Rare Censorship Reversal

The original ending of the cult classic “Fight Club” has been restored in China following push back in a rare reversal of the communist nation’s censorship.

“A key tenet of China’s usual film censorship system is that criminals must always be punished for their crimes onscreen and societal harmony restored — especially in local Chinese movies. So, before the 20th Century Fox film began airing in the country, Tencent dramatically altered Fight Club’s ending,” The Hollywood Reporter noted on Sunday.

The changes apparently led to an even more concerning ending for the classic film starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter.

“But it would appear that the backlash has been deemed more troublesome than the fictional film’s ending, as Tencent has now restored 11 of the 12 minutes it originally cut from the 137-minute movie. The minute still missing is mostly comprised of brief nude sex scenes between Pitt’s and Bonham Carter’s characters,” The Hollywood Reporter added.

The original, iconic ending of cult US film Fight Club has been restored to screens in China after a censored version that brought all criminals to book sparked outrage onlinehttps://t.co/wVWnXXG5ux

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 7, 2022

In a surprising response, “Fight Club” novel author Chuck Palahniuk claimed the new ending was closer to the original story.

“Have You Seen This S***? This is SUPER wonderful! Everyone gets a happy ending in China!” Palahniuk tweeted in January.

Have You Seen This Sh*t?
This is SUPER wonderful! Everyone gets a happy ending in China!

https://t.co/saVA2yro9B pic.twitter.com/20UzTi1nyI

— Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) January 25, 2022

In a separate interview with The Hollywood reporter, he added, “The irony is that the way the Chinese have changed it is they’ve aligned the ending almost exactly with the ending of the book, as opposed to Fincher’s ending, which was the more spectacular visual ending,” he said. “So in a way, the Chinese brought the movie back to the book a little bit.”

As The Daily Wire previously reported:

The author continued, “What I find really interesting is that my books are heavily banned throughout the U.S. The Texas prison system refuses to carry my books in their libraries. A lot of public schools and most private schools refuse to carry my books. But it’s only an issue once China changes the end of a movie?”

Palahniuk also took to Twitter to confront Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz regarding why his novel and other books are banned in the Texas prison system.

“Dear Ted Cruz, Why is the novel Fight Club (as well as all my books) banned in the Texas prison system? Is that censorship? Or can only China censor things? Please hit me back,” he tweeted.

Ephemera: TMZ
Dear Ted Cruz, Why is the novel Fight Club (as well as all my books) banned in the Texas prison system? Is that censorship? Or can only China censor things? Please hit me back.

https://t.co/6ZoO38W5pM pic.twitter.com/kZKoO7dkai

— Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) January 27, 2022

“Fight Club” is certainly not the only film edited for streaming in China.

“Previous guidelines for film have banned depiction of ghosts, organized crime, pornography, sexual violence, time travel and non-approved interpretations of Chinese history. Recently, however, greater emphasis throughout Chinese public life is being placed on conformity with Chinese socialist ideals and national security concerns,” Variety reported.

“That has led to instructions for cissy idols and effeminate men to be banished from the airwaves and to football players being told to remove their tattoos,” the report added.

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