L0os Angeles, Apr 13 (IANS): Warner Bros has removed the references to a gay relationship in their film 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore' for the film's China release.

Only six seconds of the movie's 142-minute runtime were removed, reports 'Variety'.

As per 'Variety', the dialogue that spoke about the romantic past between male characters of Dumbledore (essayed by Jude Law) and Grindelwald (played by Mads Mikkelsen), has been axed. The lines "because I was in love with you" and "the summer Gellert and I fell in love" have been edited out from 'The Secrets of Dumbledore' release (via News.com.au).

The rest of the film remained intact, including an understanding that Dumbledore and Grindelwald share an intimate bond.

'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling revealed Dumbledore was gay in 2009, but the movies had never explicitly referenced the character's sexuality until this third 'Fantastic Beasts' entry.

Warner Bros told 'Variety' in a statement, "As a studio, we're committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film we release, and that extends to circumstances that necessitate making nuanced cuts in order to respond sensitively to a variety of in-market factors. Our hope is to release our features worldwide as released by their creators but historically we have faced small edits made in local markets."

"In the case of 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,' a six-second cut was requested and Warner Bros accepted those changes to comply with local requirements but the spirit of the film remains intact. We want audiences everywhere in the world to see and enjoy this film, and it's important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to experience it as well, even with these minor edits", the statement further added.