The controversial film "The Da Vinci Code" has proved a hit in Poland despite bishops urging the public in this overwhelmingly catholic country to boycott the movie, distributors said today.
Released Friday, the film drew over 341,000 moviegoers during the weekend, with box office sales reaching 5.5 million zlotys (1.8 million dollars), the film's Polish distributor Staislaw Pytel said.
"It's the best opening of the year in Polish cinemas for films intended for adults," Pytel added.
"The Da Vinci Code" was the 12th most successful release ever in Poland, according to the specialist website Stopklatka.Pl.
Polish conservative senators last week called on the Justice Ministry to ban the movie, saying it is offensive and violates Poland's Constitution.
The film is based on a novel by Dan Brown which puts forward the theory that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene, had children and that the sacred blood line still exists today in secret.
According to Krakow Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, long-time personal secretary of the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II, "the hidden objective of the film is to convince viewers that Christianity is a religion of contradictions, secrets and lies". |