Chinese streaming giant Tencent has reinstated the original ending of a Hollywood movie after a censored version last month sparked backlash.
The original ending to the 1999 Film Fight Club shows the narrator killing his imaginary alter-ego, before bombs destroyed buildings in a subversive plot to reorder society.
But China’s version showed a message on screen saying the authorities won.
This decision sparked intense debate about cinematic censorship in China.
The latest version on Tencent reportedly restores about 11 of the 12 minutes that were cut. According to news site SCMP, the scenes that remained cut are those that involve nudity. The cult classic, directed by David Fincher, stars Edward Norton as the narrator and Brad Pitt as his alter ego, Tyler Durden.
The release of the film last month also showed a message saying the police foiled the plot, arrested the criminals and sent Durden to a “lunatic asylum”.
“Through the clue provided by Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding,” it had said.
The censored ending drew ire from both human rights groups and Chinese viewers who had previous seen pirated versions of the original.
