Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- In the latest Bond movie `` Skyfall , '' Daniel Craig 's 007 pursues an assassin up a glass skyscraper in the dead of night and meets a glamorous casino host with a troubled past . The action could plausibly have taken place in any of the world 's major metropolises but the film makers chose Shanghai and Macau , two of China 's most dynamic cities . It reflects the growing importance of China as a market for Hollywood movies and Chinese backdrops , themes and actors are likely to become only more commonplace . But appealing to Chinese audiences is fraught with difficulty as the makers of `` Skyfall , '' which has fallen foul of Chinese censors , have discovered . Censors cut a key scene and altered subtitled dialogue in the movie , which opened in China on Monday . Its release was also reportedly delayed to help boost the box office takings of rival homegrown movies . Read more : Opinion : Censorship row reveals tolerant side of China 's new leadership . According to The Hollywood Reporter , the offending scene showed the shooting of a security guard in the lobby of a Shanghai skyscraper by the French assassin being chased by Bond . Later in the movie , at a casino in Macau , 007 asks Severine ( Berenice Marlohe ) about her tattoo . The Chinese subtitles hint at mob connections , removing a reference to her becoming a prostitute at a young age as per the original . Read more : Chinese newspaper in eye of censorship storm back on sale . And references to the backstory of Javier Bardem 's rogue MI6 agent were culled to avoid giving attention his role in stalling Hong Kong 's handover to China , the Yangzi Evening News reported . Such censorship is not uncommon for Hollywood films released in China , says Rance Pow , founder of Artisan Gateway , a Shanghai-based film and cinema consultancy , and every film released in China is subject to the censorship bureau 's approval . Read more : Censorship protest a test for China . Scenes deemed offensive were also removed from `` Men in Black 3 '' and the `` Pirates of the Caribbean : At World 's End . '' Movies featuring social unrest , religion , political matters , sex and violence are likely to face extra scrutiny , said Pow . `` Part of this is rooted in the fact that China still does not have a movie rating system and so the burden of determining what is appropriate for the general public to see falls on the ( censor ) , '' he said . Read more : Chinese censors block news on blind activist 's escape . Domestic film producers , like Li Peisen , the chairman of Orange Sky Entertainment , say pleasing censors is common sense and part of doing business in China . `` I think foreign movies have to use Chinese elements carefully . There has to be a mix of positive and negative portrayal , '' Li told CNN . It 's understandable ( why censors want to remove certain scenes ) if a movie contains only a few China scenes and the Chinese characters either get killed or appear in negative roles like prostitutes . '' Other challenges Hollywood faces as it vies for its share of the Chinese box office -- now the world 's second largest -- include rampant piracy and efforts by authorities to protect homegrown films . China relaxed its quota system for U.S. films last year but still only allows 34 movies a year -- up from 20 previously . To circumvent the quota , many U.S. studios are launching tie-ups with their Chinese counterparts to get preferential access but these co-productions , as they are known , have mixed results . There is also widespread industry speculation that China rigs release dates to favor domestic movies . Pow says that `` Skyfall '' and `` The Hobbit , '' scheduled to be released later this year , may have fallen prey to this : `` December is traditionally a month where Chinese films enjoy a period where no imported ... titles are released in China . '' Illegal downloading too takes its toll on the film industry . Chinese audiences can easily access a copy of the original `` Skyfall '' should they wish to see the uncut version , but this does not necessarily hurt box office takings , said Pow . `` The publicity surrounding heavy censorship creates greater awareness so while illegal downloading will go up , ticket sales at cinemas will also go up , '' he said . `` It can spin both ways . '' CNN 's Steven Jiang and Zhang Dayu in Beijing contributed reporting to this story .
Chinese censors cut key scene , alter dialogue in latest Bond movie . `` `` Skyfall '' was partly set in Shanghai and Hollywood . More Macau movies featuring French storylines and backdrops . China now has world 's second largest box-office takings .