TOKYO (AP):
THE DA VINCI Code netted 1.28 billion yen (US$11.5 million) in its opening weekend in Japan, the most for a film released this year, its distributor said Monday.
The movie drew 930,000 viewers in the two days since its premiere on Saturday, with little sign of religious controversy seen in other countries, according to Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. spokesman Keiko Kurihashi.
"That's a huge number for film released outside of major holidays like New Year," Kurihashi said, adding the opening had been the most successful in Japan this year. It is showing at 863 screens across the country.
The Da Vinci Code with its premise that Jesus fathered children has outraged Christian church leaders around the world. But there has been little protest against the film in Japan, where the predominant religions are Buddhism and the native Shintoism.
The Japanese translation of Dan Brown's novel, on which the film is based, has sold over 9 million copies; a Tokyo museum is showing a popular Da Vinci Code exhibit; and Nippon Travel Agency is offering special Da Vinci Code package tours to Paris and London.
Even Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made time to greet the film's star, Tom Hanks, during his promotional trip to Tokyo. The two reportedly joked
together over Hanks' overgrown mane in the movie.
Sony Pictures predicts the film will eventually net 10 billion yen (US$89.6 million) in Japan.
