Chinese censors have excised the famous scene in which Kate Winslet poses naked from the new 3D version of Titanic over fears that audiences might reach out and try to touch the actor's body, says the Hollywood Reporter.

Titanic 3D opened with China's second-highest opening-day take ever, $7.3m, on Tuesday, but many filmgoers were disappointed to discover the James Cameron film was not quite what they remembered. An official at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said it had removed sections of the scene in which Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack paints Winslet's Rose in the nude "to avoid potential conflicts between viewers and out of consideration of building a harmonious ethical social environment". The official added: "Considering the vivid 3D effects, we fear that viewers may reach out their hands for a touch and thus interrupt other people's viewing."

Instead of seeing Winslet sprawled naked on a chaise longue, Chinese viewers got a head-and-shoulders close-up. One commenter wrote on the internet: "I waited 15 years to see 3D boobs, not a 3D iceberg."

Titanic 3D has also topped the UK box office chart, with £2.8m in ticket sales. But in Hong Kong, where it screened uncut, it was beaten by Chinese rom-com Love in the Buff which took $875,000 to Titanic's $594,000.

Meanwhile the power of Twitter has revealed that many UK filmgoers seeing Titanic for the first time were unaware that the movie was based on real-life events. "Is it bad that I didn't know the titanic was real? Always thought it was just a film: literally dont know what to say," tweeted one user. Other users responded: "You're kidding, right?" and "Yes, it's pretty bad I'm afraid."