DA VINCI CODE Weekend Best of Year

The critics at Cannes may have crucified THE DA VINCI CODE, but viewers voted at the box office, and its opening weekend was a winner. The domestic take was $77 Million, with a worldwide take of $224 M, according to Sony Pictures.

Although both figures certainly exceeded the forecasts of the critics, the domestic box office did not top the all-time record of the 2002 U. S. opening domestic weekend for SPIDER-MAN: The Motion Picture, $115 M. Worldwide, the record for an opening weekend is last year's STAR WARS: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith's $254 M.

The animated OVER THE HEDGE (# 2), which radical Christian groups suggested as alternative movie-going for the weekend, came in a little over $37 M, and SEE NO EVIL (# 6) grossed a little over $4 M. Placing at 3, 4, and 5, were the previously released MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III ($11 M), POSEIDON ($9 M), and RV ($5 M).

The big question on everyone's mind now? Does THE DA VINCI CODE have legs?

Next Post - Chewing the "DA VINCI" Critics.