China changes ending of Minions so that character serves 20 years in prison

Chinese censors changed film’s ending to ensure villain is caught by police, viewers report

Viewers of Minions: The Rise of Gru have noted some differences between the ending of the original version and the version played in Chinese cinemas.

The fifth film in the Despicable Me franchise tells the tale of lovable villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and his life as a criminal in Seventies San Francisco, learning and conspiring with his mentor, Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin).

In the international version of the movie, 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 added note that Wild Knuckles was ultimately caught by police and served 20 years in prison.

His time behind bars ends up being useful, as he reforms his life, discovers his “love of acting” and establishes an amateur theatre troupe for the other inmates.

As for Gru in the reported Chinese ending, the character “returned to his family” and it was claimed that “his biggest accomplishment is being the father to his three girls”.

The film’s alternative ending has been mocked by viewers, some of whom compare the addendum to a PowerPoint presentation.

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

This is one of several reports of censorship in the country’s media. Earlier this year, it was reported that censors in China had changed the ending to Fight Club to ensure the authorities win.