The uncut German Blu-ray (FSK 12) was compared to the censored Chinese DVD (without age restriction).

While the first two parts of the Men in Black series made it through Chinese censorship without any problems, the third part, with a scene set in a restaurant in New York's Chinatown, provoked the dismay of the censors. The stereotypical and anything but flattering portrayal of the staff ultimately ensured that Men in Black 3 only received approval from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television after a few edits were made. The success at the box office was not dampened by the censorship interventions - the film achieved the highest box office result outside the USA with a solid 77 million Dollars in China - but the local Chinese media response due to the cuts was high. The Western media also eagerly took up the censorship issue surrounding Men in Black 3: In The Telegraph, there was talk of a full 13 missing minutes while on Kotaku there was talk of a reduction from 110 to 90 minutes.

The now available Chinese DVD finally brings clarity: Yes, the scissors were actually used here, but far less harshly than one would have expected according to the media reports. In fact, "only" two minutes are missing. Where the often quoted 13 minutes come from is unclear. On the one hand, it is quite possible that a more shortened version could be seen in cinemas. For example, Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was shortened for the Chinese cinema release in order to omit a scene in which some monsters are feeding on human eyeballs, while the objectionable sequence is completely included in the official Chinese DVD release. On the other hand, in order to achieve a runtime of cuts in the range of 13 or even 20 minutes, the entire Chinatown sequence would have had to be erased. That this was obviously not the case is proven by some of the articles published at the time, which explicitly mention flaws (e.g. the long-toed cashier).

All in all, the following censorship interventions can be reported for the Chinese DVD:

13 cuts, 1 audio censorship = 121 seconds

11:59
K and J are talking to the waiter for even longer.
17.2 sec

12:22
K examines various aliens in the rather disgusting looking kitchen.
6.6 sec

12:32
K complains a little longer about the aliens' culinary peculiarities, the waiter gives objections.
3.1 sec

12:35
Dialogue censorship (image for orientation only): The phrase "Very traditional in China. You arrest me..." was muted. Music and sound are otherwise included.
no time difference

12:38
K exposes the waiter and wipes him out with the little alien.
FETT]11,1 sec

12:50
K interrogates the waiter a little longer.
5.3 sec

13:03
J and K criticize the waiter.
FETT]19,5

13:34
The waiter looks a little grim at the two of them.
2.1 sec