Despite a barrage of negative publicity, early signs were that hordes of disciples of The Da Vinci Code book author Dan Brown would defy controversy surrounding the $125-million movie starring Tom Hanks.
There was little early evidence the picture would be swallowed by criticism from Roman Catholic groups and Christians which say it mocks the Scriptures and insults their faith.
America's leading movie ticket service, Fandango, reported that 84 percent of advance tickets it sold for the movies this week were for The Da Vinci Code. Eighty-eight percent of those who bought tickets say they had read the book, suggesting that perhaps that Brown disciples were immune to bad notices.
"It doesn't matter what the reviews say, the audience wants to judge for itself," said Fandango spokesman Harry Medved. "It is going to be like a Harry Potter for adults at the movies this weekend."
No demonstrators materialized in Hollywood, where The Da Vinci Code was sold out for its first 6:00 am screening, and was playing 21 times on Friday, at the Arclight Theater, one of the biggest cinemas in Los Angeles.
In New York, dissent was muted at early showings. A lone protestor, who identified himself as "Jack", stood outside a cinema on the Upper East Side.
" The Da Vinci Code is not based on facts ... it is a total myth they are trying to promote as fact," he said, while holding up a sign reading "I love our Lord Jesus Christ. I reject the 'Da Vinci Code.'"
Angry US Roman Catholics and conservative Christians earlier nominated Friday "showtime" for nationwide protests against a film they say mocks their faith.
"Never in the history of filmmaking has the memory of our Lord Jesus Christ and the faith of all Christians been so explicitly targeted, insulted and mocked on such a worldwide scale," said Marc Balestrieri, president of De Fide, a non-profit religious group. "All Christians are morally obligated to condemn and boycott this film and hold its makers accountable for the lies depicted as historical truth."
Catholic League president Bill Donohue, who went to see the film on Friday said it was "one of the most inane films" he has ever seen. "Had the movie been a success, the effect would have been troubling," he said. "But because it fails to persuade, this is one movie practicing Christians have nothing to worry about."
The Da Vinci Code film already was on general release in Europe and Asia, sparking similar outrage among believers. One US group coordinating protests advised followers to kneel in prayer before heading out to their local movie theater for their "act of reparation".
Demonstrations should begin with a rosary and include hymns, slogans, banners and chants, the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property advised would-be protesters.
"It's showtime! ... the long-awaited day has arrived and protests are beginning all over the nation," the group said on its Website, which featured a running count of planned protests, which had reached 42 by late afternoon.
One educational group, the Westminster Theological Seminary, with campuses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Texas, combined its campaign against the movie with a swipe at American conservatives' favorite bete noire, France.
"If you believe The Da Vinci Code, then you better start worshipping the French," the group said in a full-page advert in Friday's edition of USA Today.
According to Brown's book, Mary Magdalene and Jesus got married, had a daughter and went to France, the advert said. "So their descendents are alive in southwestern France today. Can you believe it?"
Hanks, who plays symbologist Robert Langdon, said in Cannes this week there was no doubt the film was controversial, but "context is all". "People who think things are true might be more dangerous than those who ponder the possibilities."
The movie, meanwhile, earned a new flurry of press scorn. The Washington Post described it as "about as thrilling as watching your parents do a Sudoku puzzle".
The New York Post stuck with the old maxim that the book is better than the movie. "The reason the book was such a compelling page turner lay entirely in its gleeful conspiracy-theorizing about art, religion, history and ancient codes," the paper said. "It will be a disappointment to fans to find much of those ancient puzzles are missing from the film."
Daily Variety, the top Hollywood trade paper, had earlier savaged the movie as a "stodgy, grim thing."
Read also, "Critics crucify 'Da Vinci Code' in Cannes"
© 2006 Agence France-Presse
To add a comment,
Please log in:
Don't have an account?
Register now to comment on stories and stay up to date on important events and issues in the Middle East with our newsletter.