MADE TO ORDER
Movies that were changed to suit Chinese authorities
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
2008
Censors insisted the namesake “emperor” never be identified and that he not resemble Mao Zedong or any other Chinese leader.
The Karate Kid
2010
In the Chinese version of producer Will Smith’s reboot, children in China are not bullies, they are responding to aggressions made by the young protagonist.
Red Dawn
2012
Prior to its release in all countries, the Chinese army in MGM’S remake was digitally altered to suggest North Korea was invading the U.S.
Men in Black 3
2012
A scene where Asian Americans have their memories wiped after witnessing U.S. agents battle space aliens was wiped for the China version.
Titanic 3D
2012
In the Chinese version, Leonardo Dicaprio does not sketch Kate Winslet posing nude.
Cloud Atlas
2012
The sci-fi film from the Wachowski siblings was 39 minutes shorter in China after censors cut scenes of sex and violence.
Skyfall
2013
Sony Pictures and MGM removed a scene in the James Bond movie where a Chinese security guard is killed.
Iron Man 3
2013
Disney’s Marvel Studios released a different version of the superhero flick in China that included scenes with Fan Bingbing, a leading movie star.
World War Z
2013
In the book, a pandemic causing a zombie apocalypse starts in China. In the film, there is no mention of patient zero’s nationality.
21 & Over
2013
In the Chinese version of the raunchy comedy, sex and alcohol are portrayed as American attributes rejected by China’s youth.
Bohemian Rhapsody
2019
The Chinese version was three minutes short as all scenes relating to Freddie Mercury’s homosexuality were omitted.
Abominable
2019
The Dreamworks Animation release, co-financed by a Shanghai company, included a map suggesting China’s border extended to most of the South China Sea.
Top Gun: Maverick
DECEMBER 23, 2020
Paramount’s sequel is co-produced by Chinese firm Tencent. In the trailer, Tom Cruise’s jacket no longer carries the flags of Japan or Taiwan.