Fight Club's ending re-edited ahead of China streaming release

A still from Fight Club | Image via Twitter

David Fincher's cult classic Fight Club will soon be available to watch in China, but not before its ending has been re-edited to fit the Chinese government's censorship norms.

Fight Club will release on streaming platform Tencent Video, where the death of Tyler Durden (played by Brad Pitt) will be completely removed from the film.

Originally Edward Norton's Narrator gets rid of his alternate personality by killing Tyler after firing a gun through his face. Before the final credits roll, he holds hands with Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) as they watch Project Mayhem's plan goes through and the buildings in front of them are blown off with explosives.

However, Collider writes that in China this sequence has been removed entirely. Instead, the ending has on-screen text explaining that Tyler's plans were halted by the police and he was then institutionalised. This is the entire text:

"Through the clue provided by Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding. After the trial, Tyler was sent to lunatic asylum receiving psychological treatment. He was discharged from the hospital in 2012."

It is not clear whether this was an act of self-censorship or ordered by the Chinese government. Vice mentions that this was approved by the copyright owner and then greenlit by the government to stream on Tencent Video.

In India, Fight Club can be streamed on Netflix.

Share