China changes the ending of Minions: The Rise of Gru

viewers of Minions: The Rise of Gru noticed some differences between the ending of the original version and the version played in Chinese theaters.

The fifth film in the Despicable Me franchise follows the loveable villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and his life as a criminal in 1970s San Francisco, learning from his mentor Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin) and himself conspired with him.

In the international version of the film, Gru and Wild Knuckles escape punishment for their misdeeds after Knuckles fakes his own death.

However, according to users of social media site Weibo, the version shown to Chinese viewers includes an additional clue that Wild Knuckles was ultimately caught by police and served 20 years in prison.

His time behind bars comes in handy as he reforms his life, discovers his “love of acting” and starts an amateur theater company for the other inmates.

As for Gru in the reported Chinese ending, the character has “returned to his family” and it has been claimed that “his greatest achievement is being the father of his three girls.”

The film’s alternate ending was derided by viewers, some of whom likened the addendum to a PowerPoint presentation.

The Independent China Film Co., one of the film’s Chinese distributors, has reached out for comment.

This is one of several censorship reports in the country’s media. Earlier this year, it was reported that censorship in China had changed the ending to fight club to make sure the authorities win.