LOS ANGELES - Moviegoers gave their blessing to the "The Da Vinci Code" over
the weekend, spending an estimated $77 million 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 also was 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 percent 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."
"'Da Vinci' opening this big just tells you that people do want to go to the
movies, they just need the right movie to go," said Paul Dergarabedian,
president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
Sony Pictures took a risk in the marketing of "The Da Vinci Code," keeping
the adaptation of the Dan Brown best-seller under wraps until a few days before
its opening.
The film received mixed reviews and protesters picketed outside a number of
theaters, 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
theaters in almost every country the film debuted.
"You had a built-in audience from the book and the awareness levels were so
high from this film," Dergarabedian said. "You would have to live under a rock
not to know this movie was opening."
The movie also set opening-weekend records in Italy and Spain, Sony Pictures
said.
"This is a fantastically great surprise for us this morning," said Jeff
Blake, vice chairman of Sony Pictures.
It was good news for the studio, which had been struggling of late and had
been counting on "The Da Vinci Code" to boost its fortunes.
"This is starting out to be a very good year," studio chief Amy Pascal said.
The animated film "Over the Hedge" had a strong showing with its $37.2
million as part of a counter-programming strategy from distributor Paramount
Pictures. While the opening was slightly low for a computer-animated family
movie, the studio believes the film will hold its own next weekend as children
have the Memorial Day holiday off.
"We thought we could very easily coexist with `The Da Vinci Code' and I think
the numbers bear that out," said Dan Harris, executive vice president at
Paramount.
The Tom Cruise action film "Mission: Impossible III" crossed the $100 million
mark in its third weekend with a total domestic box office take of $103 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian
theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations. Final figures will be released
Monday.
1. "The Da Vinci Code," $77 million.
2. "Over the Hedge," $37.2 million
3. "Mission: Impossible III," $11 million.
4. "Poseidon," $9.2 million.
5. "RV," $5.1 million
6. "See No Evil," $4.4 million
7. "Just My Luck," $3.4 million.
8. "An American Haunting," $1.7 million.
9. "United 93," $1.4 million.
10. "Akeelah and the Bee," $1 million.