Free | 23/6
Posted: 5/31/2012
'Men In Black 3' has already earned over $212 million in global grosses, including more $21 million in China -- the highest-grossing territory for the Sony film outside of the United States. Unfortunately for Chinese ticket buyers, they haven't actually seen 'Men In Black 3' -- at least in full. Thirteen minutes of 'Men In Black 3' were cut out of the film by the Chinese government.According China's Southern Daily newspaper (via The Telegraph), a large section of 'Men In Black 3' was discarded by officials because of how it portrays the government's position on Internet censorship. (Censorship about censorship -- it's all very meta.)The offending scene takes place in New York City's Chinatown, and features Agent J (Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) fighting with a bunch of disguised aliens. As is 'Men In Black' franchise custom, when the battle stops, innocent bystanders -- in this case, a group of Asian-Americans -- have their memories wiped clean to prevent stories about the aliens reaching a wider audience.'This could have been a hint on the use of internet censorship to maintain social stability,' the paper wrote.It's not the first time China has censored a U.S. import: 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' was famously cut because of how it portrayed Chinese pirates, and Kate Winslet's topless scene in 'Titanic' was removed for the 3D release.Of course, there could be a silver lining to the 'Men In Black 3' censorship: by cutting 13 minutes out of the film, Chinese theaters can screen the movie more times per day -- which might potentially lead to higher grosses. Considering the film was a slight disappointment at the U.S. box office, every little bit helps.[via The Daily Telegraph]The franchise is no longer the zenith of blockbusterism, and the gooey effects from Hollywood veteran Rick Baker look overly familiar, but 'M