For Chinese viewers, the ending of the film Fight Club was very different from what the rest of the world saw. Instead of an explosive finish, the ending was replaced with an anticlimactic message saying the police won.
Originally, the protagonist Narrator played by actor Edward Norton kills his dissociative identity Tyler Durden, followed by buildings collapsing as a result of Durden's plot to reorder society called Project Mayhem.
In the altered finale aired in China, the collapse was cut and replaced with a message atop a black screen: "Through the clue provided by Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding.
"After the trial, Tyler was sent to lunatic asylum receiving psychological treatment. He was discharged from the hospital in 2012."
Several reactions, both local and international, ranged from sarcastic comments—including those from Chuck Palahniuk, the author of the 1996 novel that inspired the film—to detailed critiques. Palahniuk sarcastically wrote on Twitter, “This is SUPER wonderful! Everyone gets a happy ending in China!” Later, the author added, “How amazing. I’d no idea! Justice always wins. Nothing ever exploded. Fini.”
Image: Tencent Video