• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The 33-year-old executive Satya Nadella is trusting to fix Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The 33-year-old executive Satya Nadella is trusting to fix Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant
China

‘Too outrageous:’ Chinese censors have given ‘Fight Club’ a new ending that’s even more confusing than the original

By
Eamon Barrett
Eamon Barrett
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Eamon Barrett
Eamon Barrett
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 25, 2022, 3:02 AM ET
Video Poster
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

If you haven’t seen the 1999 movie Fight Club yet, here’s a spoiler: after staying one step ahead of authorities for the whole movie, the anti-establishment protagonists are finally arrested by the police and their plan to spark a social revolution fails.

At least, that’s how the story ends in China, where film censors edited the ending to better suit their mores before allowing the movie to stream on Tencent Video over the weekend.

In the original David Fincher classic, starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, the two anti-heroes win. The movie ends with Norton’s character—the Narrator—watching as explosives he planted in skyscrapers detonate, demolishing the buildings that house records of major credit card companies, and, theoretically, hitting reset on consumer debt.

On Tencent Video in China, that scene is cut. Instead, a black screen shows a message explaining how the movie ends: “The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding.”

The written epilogue—always a lazy way to end a movie—also notes that Pitt’s character, Tyler Durden, was sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he was treated and discharged. However, censors didn’t bother to edit out the big reveal that Durden isn’t real; he is a figment of the Narrator’s schizophrenic imagination.

Admittedly, Chinese film buffs should be accustomed to foreign film censorship. Hollywood movies routinely suffer censorship to gain access to the lucrative China market, where regulators only permit 34 foreign films per year to screen at Chinese cinemas and favor features that steer clear of gore, smut, or anti-China rhetoric.

The regulator’s exacting standards, combined with the huge box office potential of the Chinese market, has resulted in some ludicrous film edits. In 2013, for example, the makers of Disney’s Iron Man 3 spliced a scene into the film exclusively for the Chinese market that showed Chinese doctors saving the titular superhero’s life.

The Tencent Video cut of Fight Club isn’t the first time China’s censorship machine has edited content on streaming services, either. Last November, Hong Kong Disney+ viewers noticed that an episode of The Simpson’s from 2005 had been edited to remove a joke about Tiananmen Square.

But film fans weren’t happy with the crudeness of the new Fight Club cut. On the Tencent streaming platform, one viewer commented the tactless edit was “too outrageous.”

It remains unclear who is responsible for the edit—whether it’s Tencent, Chinese authorities, or the film’s producers. But the message is clear: if you’re in China and you’ve seen the original ending to Fight Club, don’t talk about it.

Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you.

About the Author
By Eamon Barrett
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in International

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Most Popular

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
3 days ago
The 33-year-old executive Satya Nadella is trusting to fix Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant
AI
The 33-year-old executive Satya Nadella is trusting to fix Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant
By Sebastian HerreraJune 27, 2026
1 day ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
4 days ago
The end of Putin’s regime will spring from war spending chaos, former central bank advisor says, amid military mutiny threat and fuel-shortage brawls
Europe
The end of Putin’s regime will spring from war spending chaos, former central bank advisor says, amid military mutiny threat and fuel-shortage brawls
By Jason MaJune 27, 2026
21 hours ago
The contrarian view for Fed rate cuts: Payrolls will weaken, inflation will plunge, and Kevin Warsh was 'largely performative' in his hawkishness
Economy
The contrarian view for Fed rate cuts: Payrolls will weaken, inflation will plunge, and Kevin Warsh was 'largely performative' in his hawkishness
By Jason MaJune 27, 2026
17 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.