Horror film Together pulled from Chinese cinemas after ‘unauthorised’ editing out of gay couple
Dave Franco in Together. (Neon)
Dave Franco in Together. (Neon)
Neon, the film production company behind 2025 horror Together, has demanded that an “unauthorised” version of the film which removed a gay couple be pulled from cinemas in China.
Last week, reports began circulating that the Chinese version of the recent horror movie had altered a brief gay wedding scene using AI to make the couple heterosexual.
Now, the film’s global distributor Neon has responded to the edited version, shared by Chinese distributor Hishow, and ordered for it to stop being shown.
“Neon does not approve of Hishow’s unauthorised edit of the film and have demanded they cease distributing this altered version,” the company said in a statement on 24 September.
The scene shows the marriage of two men, played by Charlie Lees and MJ Dorning. Yet in the Chinese version, the face of one of the grooms had been swapped with that of a woman.
Cinema goers who saw Together – which stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie – in mainland China at a screening on 12 September noticed the edit, and word of the change began to spread on social media.
One person said that the heterosexual edit “definitely makes the film make less sense,” while another, writing on film-rating site Douban, said that the AI-based censorship was “disrespectful” to the original work.
“They want our money but won’t show us the complete version. It’s also disrespectful to the LGBT community,” they wrote.
ADAM AND STEVE TO ADAM AND EVE
— Angelica 🌐⚛️🇹🇼🇨🇳🇺🇸 (@AngelicaOung) September 17, 2025
Here’s a use of AI I bet you never thought of! The horror film “Together” featured a gay couple in a peripheral role (see below) that got magicked into a straight couple in the Chinese edition.
No spoilers, but this definitely makes the film make… pic.twitter.com/bsxw5019uj
Deadline reports that Together has now been pulled altogether from Chinese cinemas, less than two weeks after its original 12 September release date.
The Australian movie, written and directed by Michael Shanks, was a reasonable box office hit in other markets, landing in the top ten at the US box office and grossing more than $32 million worldwide. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has scored an impressive 90 per cent approval rating based on critic reviews.
Chinese censorship laws introduced in 2016 censor LGBTQ+ content in films, TV shows and other media, under the General Principles for the Production of TV Drama Content regulations.
In the years since, several major film and TV productions have had key scenes edited or removed from their Chinese versions due to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ content.
The 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody reportedly removed reference to Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s homosexuality and the fact he had AIDS. In 2022, the Chinese release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore removed scenes referencing the gay relationship between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.
In 2021, China said that it would crack down on portrayals of effeminate men in various media, while fans at a concert by pop star A-Mei in 2023 reported that rainbow clothing had been banned and LGBTQ+ themes were removed from the setlist.
In July, more than 30 people were arrested by Chinese police for writing and publishing danmei – which is essentially LGBTQ+ erotic fiction The charges carry penalties of more than 10 years imprisonment.
Despite the country’s censorship laws, more than half of Chinese citizens support LGBTQ+ rights.
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