The Da Vinci Code generated US$77.1-million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada in its first weekend, overcoming negative reviews to beat analysts' estimates.
Worldwide, the film took in US$238.1-million, the second-best after last year's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Sony spokesman Steve Elzer said. "It's playing almost everwhere", www.Boxofficemojo.com Prezident Brandon Gray said. "It's not in the Middle East and India, but those aren't large markets, at least not for U.S. movies. It's everywhere that it's important to be."
The Da Vinci Code is the sixth Sony film this year to open at No. 1. The film, which cost US$125-million to make, was helped by fans who brought more than 60 million copies of the Dan Brown novel it was adapted from, about a deadly conspiracy to hide the true origins of Christianity.
"Obviously this is a film with a built in audience," said Gitesh Pandya, editor of www.Boxofficeguru.com. The reviews "didn't have a big impact."
The animated feature Over The Hedge, opened at No. 2 in the U.S. and Canada with US$37.2-million, said box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. Da Vinci exceeded the US$59.8-million average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
"I think Sony is popping a lot of champagne right now," Pandya said. "It proves that the built-in interest in the book superseded the opinions of the critics. There were millions of people who decided they were going to see this movie as soon as they heared it was being made."
Bloomberg News (NATIONAL POST, Tuesday, May 23, 2006).
Moskwa, Rosja Okolo 100 przedstawicieli prawoslawnych organizacji protestuje 18 bm. przed jednym z moskiewskich kin przeciwko wejsciu na ekrany filmu Rona Howarda "Kod da Vinci". Protestujacy trzymaja ikony, krzyze i transparenty, m.in. z napisem ""Kod da Vinci": kupujesz bilet - sprzedajesz Chrystusa". Zebrani spalili plakat rekalmujacy film. "Tak splonie wszelka herezja przeciw Cerkwi" - oswiadczyl przewodniczacy Zwiazku Bractw Prawoslawnych Leonid Simonowicz-Nikszycz (GONIEC, 19-25 maja 2006).
Bojkot kodu Leonarda
19 maja, w dniu premiery wroga, przywodcy religijni beda gotowi na duchowe tsunami. W obawie przed masowa dezorientacja, glowy kosciolow spiesza dementowac kontrowersyjne tezy zawarte w bestsellerowej powiesci Dana Browna "Kod Leonarda Da Vinci", zanim dotra one do kolejnych osob. - Mamy do czynienia ze zmasowanym uderzeniem w samo serce chrzescijanstwa. Mysle, ze powinnismy stawic mu czola - mowi William Rice, starszy pastor Kosciola Baptystow w Clearwater. - Ubolewam, ze wiele osob przeczyta to albo obejrzy w przekonaniu, ze maja do czynienia z czyms historycznie wiarygodnym. Gra idzie o wysoka stawke. Kosciol nawoluje do bojkotu filmu. Sprzeciwia sie komercjalizacji szykanow wobec Kosciola katolickiego i chrzescijanstwa w ogole.
Wielu chrzescijan na swiecie ma zastrzezenia do kluczowych zagadnien "Kodu Leonarda". Brown twierdzi, ze boskosc Jezusa jest raczej dzielem rzymskiego cesarza niz Boga. Glosi tez, ze Chrystus ozenil sie z Maria Magdalena i mial z nia dzieci, ktorych potomkowie zyja dzis. Ksiazka kwestionuje ponadto dokladnosc Biblii i sugeruje, ze Kosciol rzymskokatolicki staral sie przez stulecia ukrywac prawde o Jezusie.
Brown, ktory jest chrzescijaninem, mowi, ze jego ksiazka jest fikcja. Wstep do niej wywolal jednak gniew chrzescijan na calym swiecie, poniewaz zawieral stwierdzenie, ze opisy dziel sztuki, sekretnych rytualow i stowarzyszen oraz dokumentow sa prawdziwe. Niektorzy przywodcy religijni martwia sie, ze przeplatanie faktow i fikcji zwiekszy sceptycyzm nie-chrzescijan, a wierzacym przysporzy religijnych watpliwosci. Dotychczas sprzedano 40 milionow egzemplarzy ksiazki przetlumaczonej na ponad 40 jezykow. "Kod" wywoluje watpliwosci na skale miedzynarodowa, a wokol niego powstal swoisty "przemysl", ktory wyprodukowal juz co najmniej kilkanascie ksiazek, filmow dokumentalnych i kampanii marketingowych majacych dostarczac odpowiedzi wszystkim, ktorzy ich poszukuja.
Nawet firma, ktora stoi za produkcja filmu, stwarza krytykom okazje do wyrazania swoich opinii. Wyglada na to, ze Sony Pictures Entertainment, ktorego czescia jest Columbia Pictures, znalazlo sie wsrod najgorliwszych krytykow ksiazki. Firma zalozyla strone internetowa www.thedavincichallenge.com, na ktorej chrzescijanscy uczeni, pastorzy i wychowawcy obalaja zawarte w "Kodze" tezy.
Ponad 200 osob zebralo sie w ubieglym miesiacu na spotkaniu z profesorem Robertem Westinem, historykiem sztuki z Uniwersytetu Floryda, ktory opowiadal o zawartych w ksiazce zagadnieniach zwiazanych ze sztuka. Ksiazka sugeruje, ze wskazowki na temat malzenstwa Marii Magdaleny i Jezusa mozna znalezc na "Ostatniej wieczerzy" Leonarda da Vinci. Westin, ktory konsultowal poprzednia ksiazke Browna "Anioly i demony" uwaza, ze "Kod Leonarda" jest tak pelen bledow, ze wymienianie ich wszystkich mija sie z celem. Krotko mowiac, Brown dostal "jedynke" ze znajomosci zrodel (ZYCIE, Toronto, 18-24maja 2006).
W pierwszym oficjalnym dokumencie koscielnym uznajacym Opus Dei znalazlo sie stwierdzenie, ze czlonkowie Dziela ewangelizuja "przede wszystkim przez przyklad dawany bliskim, kolegom z pracy, rodzinie, innym, z ktorymi stykaja sie przy okazji kontaktow spolecznych i zawodowych, starajac sie zawsze i wszedzie byc lepszymi". Josemaria Escriva uwazal, ze dobrze wykonana praca ma wartosc przykladu, kazdy chrzescijanin powinien wiec dazyc do podnoszenia wlasnych kwalifikacji i do perfekcji w swym fachu. W ten sposob zdobedzie w swym srodowisku prestiz zawodowy, a to - wedlug zalozyciela Dziela - jest "katedra, z ktorej naucza sie innych, jak uswiecac prace i dostosowywac swoje zycie do wymagan chrzescijanstwa". Jesli zas stracisz autorytet zawodowy - przestrzega Escriva - tracisz "haczyk polawiacza ludzkich dusz". Rzetelnosc w pracy okazuje sie wrecz nakazem religijnym.
Nic wiec dziwnego, ze ci czlonkowie Opus Dei, ktorzy przejmuja sie tym wezwaniem, zostaja prymusami, a prymusow czesto sie nie lubi. Jesli uparcie daza do doskonalosci w swym zawodzie, to nierzadko awansuja na kierownicze stanowiska. Te awanse zas, zwlaszcza w niezyczliwym srodowisku, zdarza sie przypisywac nie tylko zaslugom czlowieka, ile jego przynaleznosci do "tajemnej organizacji" (Grzegorz Gorny, "Tajemnice Opus Dei * "Katolicka mafia", "biala masoneria", "tajne lobby", "wylegarnia fanatykow" - tak czesto media okreslaja te najbardziej tajemnicza organizacje w Kosciele katolickim. Opus Dei od chwili powstania szykanowane bylo przez duchownych, bo proponowana przez nie wizja chrzescijanstwa byla wtedy skrajnie antyklerykalna. Dzis atakowane jest przez lewice i liberalow za probe odzyskania dla chrzescianstwa kultury, polityki i biznesu", OZON 17 maja 2006).
"The fleur-de-lis," Langdon said, "combined with the initials P.S., that is the brotherhood's official device. Their coat of arms. Their logo." "How do you know this?" Sophie was praying Langdon was not going to tell her that he himself was a member."I've written about this group," he said, his voice tremulous with excitement. "Researching the symbols of secret societies is a specialty of mine. They call themselves the Prieure de Sion - the Priory of Sion. They've based here in France and attract powerful members from all over Europe. In fact, they are one of the oldest surviving secret societies on earth."
Sophie had never heard of them.
Langdon was talking in rapid bursts now. "The Priory's membership has included some of history's most cultured individuals: men like Botticelli, Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo." He paused, his voice brimming now with academic zeal. "And, Leonardo da Vinci."
Sophie stared. "Da Vinci was in a secret society?"
"Da Vinci presided over the Priory between 1510 and 1519 as the brotherhood's Grand Master, which might help explain your grandfather's passion for Leonardo's work. The two men share a historical fraternal bond. And it all fits perfectly with their fascination for goddess iconology, paganism, feminine deities, and contempt for the Church. The Priory has a well-documented history of reverence for the sacred feminine."
"You're telling me this group is a pagan goddess worship cult?"
"More like the pagan goddess worship cult. But more important, they are known as the guardians of an ancient secret. One that made them immeasurably powerful" ("Chapter 23", Dan Brown, THE DA VINCI CODE, Doubleday, New York, 2003).
Code boosts box office fortunes
Moviegoers gave their blessing to The Da Vinci Code over the weekend, spending an estimated $77 million US to see the Tom Hanks religious thriller.
While the film didn't set a domestic box office record, it was the largest weekend opening of the year so far and became the second largest worldwide release after Star Wars: Episode III. It garnered some $224 million worldwide, according to Sony Pictures.
The film was also the best domestic opening for both Hanks and director Ron Howard. The movie's performance, combined with the family film Over the Hedge debuting in second place with $37.2 million, was a welcome contrast to the last two weekends that saw disappointing results from Poseidon and Mission: Impossible III.
The total box office was down about 2.8 per cent from the same weekend last year, according to studio estimates released Sunday. But that's a tough comparison given that last year's numbers included the record-setting debut of Star Wars: Episode III.
Sony Pictures took a risk in the marketing of The Da Vinci Code, keeping the adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller under wraps until a few days before its opening. The film received mixed reviews and protesters picketed outside a number of theatres, upset over the story's suggestion that Jesus Christ was married and had a child. But the controversy did little to deter moviegoers, who packed theatres in almost every country in which the film debuted.
- The Associated Press (24 HOURS, May 23, 2006).
OPUS DEI SPEAKS AGAIN
Head of Catholic group prays for Dan Brown; he in turns prays to the box office
The head of conservative Catholic group Opus Dei says he prays every day for author Dan Brown and the people behind the film of his novel The Da Vinci Code, which portrays his movement as secretive and murderous. Bishop Javier Echevarria Rodriguez said in an interview yesterday that he had not read the best-selling novel and believed its success showed modern society needed spiritual and religious education. A key figure in the story is an Opus Dei member, the murderous albino monk Silas. In real life, the group has no monks. "I pray every day for the writer and also for those people who made the film, because they may not realize that what they say could hurt people and that they are blaspheming," Echevarria told the Catholic newspaper La Croix.
Reuters (NATIONAL POST, Thursday, May 18, 2006).
Da Vinci spreads 'lies', upsets Muslims
SAGAL ALI
Toronto Sun
The Da Vinci Code is insulting to both Christianity and Islam, which regards Jesus as a prophet, Muslim scholars say.
Canadians should boycott the blockbuster movie which opened yesterday, Syed Soharwardy, of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, said yesterday. "It makes me upset. We have to stand-up against the false information that is being spread of God," he said.
The movie, which is based on the international best-selling novel by the same name, has been criticized by religious groups for its depiction of Jesus as being married to Mary Magdalene.
"Jesus was not an ordinary being, he was a prophet, and you can't spread lies about him. There's a line," he said. While he acknowledges the movie is fictional, Soharwardy said it will reach large audiences and has the potential to be interpreted as factual.
"They will be getting the idea that Jesus was actually married to Mary Magdalene. This is not true," he said. The Islamic council rallied against the movie in Calgary, and similar protests have taken place in Russia, New York and Saskatchewan.
"We want to show as solidarity with our Christian friends. Show them that we stand together on this issue," Soharwardy said.
The Islamic council will address its concerns in a meeting at the South Fletcher Sportsplex on 500 Raylawson Blvd. today at 12:30 p.m. (SATURDAY SUN, May 20, 2006).
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