Chinese film censors 'End of Minions: The Rise of Gru'
The Rise of Gru notes some differences between the ending of the original version and the version played in Chinese cinema.
The fifth film in the Despicable Me franchise tells the story of the beloved villain Gru and his life as a criminal in Seventies San Francisco, who learns and conspires with his mentor, Wild Knuckles.
In the international version of the film, Gru and Wilde Knuckles escape punishment for their misdeeds when Knuckles pretends to be his own death.
However, according to users of the social media site Weibo, the version shown to Chinese viewers includes an additional note that Wild Knuckles was eventually caught by police and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
His time behind bars proves fruitful, as he mends his life, discovers his "love of acting" and establishes an amateur theater troupe for other prisoners.
For Gru in the reported Chinese ending, the character "returned to his family" and it was claimed that "his greatest achievement is being the father of three of his girls".
The film's alternate ending has been ridiculed by audiences, some of whom have compared the addendum to a PowerPoint presentation. The Independent has contacted China Film Company, 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 won.