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The Da Vinci Code (film)
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For the novel upon which this film was based, seeThe Da Vinci Code.
The Da Vinci Code

Promotional poster for The Da Vinci Code
Directed byRon Howard
Produced byBrian Grazer
John Calley
Written byDan Brown (novel)
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay)
StarringTom Hanks
Audrey Tautou
Sir Ian McKellen
Jean Reno
Alfred Molina
Paul Bettany
Jürgen Prochnow
Music byHans Zimmer
CinematographySalvatore Totino
Editing byDaniel P. Hanley
Mike Hill
Distributed bySony
ReleasedMay 19,2006
Running time149 min
LanguageEnglish
Budget$125 million[6]
IMDb profile
The Da Vinci Code is a2006feature film based on the bestselling 2003 novelThe Da Vinci Code, by authorDan Brown. It was one of the most anticipated films of 2006, and was previewed at the opening night of theCannes Film Festival onMay 17,2006. It then entered major release in many other countries onMay 18, with its first showing in theUnited States onMay 19.
Because of some controversial and fictional interpretations of Christian history, both the book and movie version of The Da Vinci Code have been the target of criticism by theRoman Catholic Church. Some bishops have even urged members toboycott the film.[7] Many of the early showings were accompanied by protesters outside the movie theaters, and early critical reviews were decidedly mixed. However, in its opening weekend, the film earned over US$224 million worldwide, second only to the opening of 2005‘sStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Contents
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1 Synopsis
2 Plot Summary2.1 Differences between book and film
3 Cast
4 Taglines
5 Filming5.1 Location
5.2 Studio shoots
6 Pre-release reactions6.1 Catholic6.1.1 The Vatican
6.1.2 Opus Dei
6.1.3 American Catholic bishops
6.1.4 Peru
6.2 NOAH
6.3 Faroe Islands
6.4 Philippines
6.5 Thailand
6.6 Singapore
6.7 Samoa
6.8 India
6.9 Middle East
7 Pre-release reviews
8 Cast/crew response
9 Marketing campaign9.1 Press screenings
9.2 Promotional puzzles
10 Reactions to the film10.1 Protests
10.2 Critics‘ response
10.3 Box office response10.3.1 Opening weekend
10.3.2 Ranking and current gross
11 Trivia11.1 Cameos
12 Ratings
13 See also
14 References
15 External links
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Synopsis
The film follows a professor ofsymbology,Robert Langdon, as he is called to the scene of a grislymurder in theLouvre. Along with a young FrenchcryptographerSophie Neveu, Langdon tries to solve the message left by the victim in order to preserve a secret kept for two thousand years concerning Jesus and Mary Magdalene, which could revolutionize theChristian faith.
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Plot Summary
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Audrey Tautou asSophie Neveu andTom Hanks asRobert Langdon
The film opens with a man (later revealed to beJacques Saunière) being pursued by a mysterious hooded character carrying ahandgun through one of the artwings in the Louvre. While trying to evade the man, he is confronted by him and reveals himself asSilas. Silas begins demanding the location of the Priory‘s clef de voûte or "keystone." However, Jacques instead tells him a lie that was told by the other three keepers of the secret as well, whom Silas all shot. Silas then shoots Jacques in the stomach, and walks out.
Saunière reveals a place (Church of Saint-Sulpice beneath the Rose), but we soon discover that this revelation was only a lie that was created by thePriory of Sion in case they were compromised.
Meanwhile,Americanreligious iconologist,Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), who is inParis as a guestlecturer on Symbols and thesacred feminine, is contacted by the FrenchInterpol, and summoned to the Louvre to view thecrime scene. He discovers the dying Saunière had created an intricate display using black lightink and his own body and blood. CapitanBezu Fache (Jean Reno) asks him for his interpretation of the puzzling scene.
Next on the scene isSophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou),FrenchCryptologist. She discreetly informs Langdon that he is in danger, and must get away without arousing suspicions. Langdon, in confusion, excuses himself and heads to the men‘s washroom, where Sophie meets him and warns that he was bugged with a tracking device by Bezu Fache on the way into the Louvre. Sophie tells him to get rid of it by throwing it out the window beside her. After throwing out the chip onto the streets of Paris, Frenchagents are alerted of Landon‘s attempted escape through the window and begin pursuing the automobile in which he supossedly in. Sophie begins explaining that Fache had erased a line ofblack light ink text which appeared to incriminate Langdon, and that Fache believes Langdon to be the murderer.
However, Sophie also believes that Saunière, who, it transpires, is her grandfather, wanted to pass ahidden message onto her, and that he had wanted to bring Langdon into the equation so that he could help hercrack the code.
After the pair manage to buy some time by disorienting the French agents with throwing the chip out, they begin exploring the Louvre, finding some more anagramised messages that Saunière had left behind. Many of these messages relate toLeonardo Da Vinci‘s art, and the pair find a key with aFleur-de-lis behindMadonna of the Rocks.
When the French agents stop the suspected car in which Langdon is supossedly in, they realise they were tricked and immediately head back to the Louvre. Upon arrival Robert and Sophie evade agents and are pursued by theFrench Police. Sophie tells Robert that she can continue with theinvestigation and that if they get to theAmerican embassy then they can safely fly Langdon back to theUnited States.
After arriving at the front gates of the American embassy, the French authorities are already waiting for them both, Sophie then manages to drive into a narrow ally way created by two moving trucks. Both of them abandon the car and head into a park where Langdon closely inspects the key. He notices aninscription on the side which is an address. The address appoints them to head over to theDepository Bank of Zurich where the key is used for asafety deposit box.
When they enter Depository Bank of Zurich, both now appear aswanted criminals onFrench television. One of thesecurity guards recognises Langdon and Sophie and informs the police when both enter into avault. They discover that Saunière had a safety deposit box, which requires a 10 digit code for them to access. Langdon then remembersFibonacci numbers which was found previosly found onJacques Saunière, when arranged in the correct order it becomes 1123581321.
When they succeed in entering the code, they acquire a box. The box turns out to contain aCryptex; a device which can be aligned in different ways, something like aRubik‘s Cube, and must be set-up to spell out a 5-letter code word in order to open and access theparchment message inside which surrounds avial ofvinegar. Using force to open the crytex would cause the vial to break and dissolve the parchment effectively destroying the message.
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Differences between book and film
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Note: Some of these differences are based on the first edition of the book. Newer versions have been revised and in some cases are more similar to the movie.
In the movie, Langdon received the photograph of Sauniere‘s corpse after giving a symbology lecture in a university, while he is autographing his books. In the book, he is contacted after he returned to his hotel.
In the movie, Langdon holds far more moderate views towards the Catholics church, as opposed to his character in the book who agrees with Teabing on just about every point. He is also much more skeptical about the Priory of Sion in the movie.
The movie makes no verbal reference to theDivine Proportion, however, during a sequence in which Langdon cuts his face shaving, the pattern of the blood droplet in the sink vaguely resembles the shape of the Greek letterPhi. Also, the Bank of Zurich‘s emblem closely resembles aPhi.
Sophie found the hidden message in the Mona Lisa written at the bottom right of the painting. In the novel it is scrawled directly acrossMona Lisa‘s face just like the one shown in the earlier trailers of the film.
In the movie, Langdon deciphered the code "So Dark The Con of Man" hidden in theMona Lisa a few minutes after they found it; whereas in the book it took more time.
Bank manager and one-time collaboratorAndré Vernet turns against Langdon and Sophie because he has been waiting 20 years for somebody to return for the contents of the safe, and believes they may have killed a man to access his valuables. In the movie his selfish interests in the contents are insinuated, whereas in the book a fuller explanation is given of his dedication to protect Sauniere‘s interests as his client.
In the movie, Fache goes to the hospital to find Vernet and tells him to turn on the homing device, while in the book Vernet does so without telling Fache, so that his bank‘s reputation is not spoiled.
The answer to Teabing‘s second question at the gate changes. The question to Langdon is whether he wants milk or lemon with his tea. In the movie, Langdon answers that it depends on the type of tea they are having. In the book, he says that he wants it with milk.
No mention is ever made in the movie of the surveillance equipment in the top of the barn at Teabing‘s manor, nor of the miniature knight in Sauniere‘s office in which a bug had been placed.
There is no second cryptex inside the first. The solution to the cryptex (and the mirrored writing found on the panel behind the rose logo on the box) is the same as the second one in the book.
The role ofOpus Dei in the movie is significantly scaled back and far less ominous than their portrayal in the book. In the movie, Aringarosa is a sinister member of a secret council of priests, called theCouncil of Shadows, dedicated to the destruction of the Sangreal, instead of the desperate leader ofOpus Dei dealing with an official council of the Vatican. This leaves Silas‘s role as more of the tormented executor rather that of the blindly faithful servant.
In the movie, Opus Dei is portrayed as an organization trying to destroy the Sangreal while in the book, Opus Dei is trying to gain control of the Sangreal in order to wield more influence in the church.
It is revealed thatBezu Fache is a member ofOpus Dei in the movie; not mentioned in the book. He decides to pursue Robert Langdon as he was given a false tip by Bishop Aringarosa whom he trusted. In the book, Fache learns of Silas from Aringosa who tries to stop Silas from committing crimes as he realizes that he has been duped.
Langdon does not carefully hide the cryptex under furniture to prevent Teabing from discovering it prematurely the way he does in the book.
In the movie Teabing uses sophisticated computer animation to demonstrate codes in Da Vinci‘s paintings; whereas in the book he merely points at prints.
The name ofRémy Legaludec, Leigh Teabing‘s butler, is changed in the film to "Remy Jean".
Remy tells Silas that he isthe Teacher in the limo, instead of one of his servants. Remy is poisoned by a pier in theDocklands of London instead of in the limo.
Silas is killed bypolice-assisted suicide to show his pain beside where he shot Aringarosa. In the book he flees the scene with mortal wounds and dies in a park.
In the novel, Robert and Sophie go to a library in London to discover the relevance of A. Pope. Whereas in the movie they borrow someone‘s mobile phone (which had a web browser) on a city bus, after they realize it will take too long to get to the library. Sophie uses feminine attractiveness to borrow the phone (which may introduce a technique not present in the book).
In the book, Sophie and Robert find a note at Newton‘s tomb telling them to go to a chapel in order to save Teabing, and it is at this chapel where they realize Teabing is "the Teacher." In the movie, Teabing reveals his true identity right at the tomb.
The revelation of the Teacher and the rest of the ending is presented differently. In the movie, Langdon and Sophie discovered the Sangreal documents – and thus the secrets of Sophie‘s ancestry – hidden beneath the Rosslyn Chapel. However, in the novel Langdon tells Sophie that she is not a descendant of Christ although she later discovers that she in fact is, and Langdon does not discover the location of the Sangreal documents on his own until the epilogue.
The entrance to the tomb beneath Rosslyn Chapel is easily found in the movie, beneath an obvious symbol of the unified chalice and blade. In the book, no such entrance to the underground chamber exists (the chamber had only been confirmed by sonograms, but Langdon and Sophie never see it) and the chalice/blade symbol is less obvious (the path of footprints worn into the floor). Also, the line accompanying this find insinuates that the JewishStar of David was originally apagan symbol.
In the book, only Sophie‘s parents were killed in a car accident of unknown origin. Sophie‘s brother (in the book) survives and is raised by their grandmother at Rosslyn Chapel. The grandparents agree to separate in order to protect the children. The book tells us that Sophie and her brother are reunited at the end – he is the man working at Rosslyn Chapel as a guide. In the movie, the man working at Rosslyn chapel as a guide is not presented as her brother – her brother is said to have died in the car accident.
In the book, one of the most important aspects of Sophie Neveu‘s relationship with her grandfather, Jacques Sauniere, is that she hadn‘t spoken to him in ten years. During those ten years, she never opened his many letters, nor did she ever tell another person about her reasons. After dropping the subject over and over, she finally explains that she accidentally witnessed aHieros Gamos sex ritual involving her grandfather. In the movie, this traumatic event is hardly mentioned, and when the event is shown in flashback form, we only see a quick image of a naked man and woman having implied sex. The significance of this Priory of Sion pagan ritual is never explained by Langdon, as he does in the book.
In the book, Jacques Sauniere is Sophie‘s grandfather, and she is reunited with her grandmother, who lives behind the Rosslyn Chapel, and her brother, the docent, at the end, where it is revealed in the narrative that her grandmother and grandfather separated with great difficulty for the mere purpose of changing the family names and protecting the grandchildren in separate families. In the movie, Langdon tells Sophie that he believes that Jacques Sauniere is not her real grandfather. The docent is never announced as Sophie‘s brother. Instead, a legion of protectors of the holy grail meet Sophie with her grandmother, the rest being left unexplained.
In the book, Robert and Sophie kiss in the end. In the movie, Sophie "cures" Robert‘s phobia, and there are other very sublime touching moments between them, barely implying that some relationship could continue, but without ever implying romance. They are shown making their farewells at the end.
In the movie, Langdon counsels Sophie that it may not necessarily be important or right to prove the bloodline; that it will have to be largely her choice, and that it could be a matter of faith and of deciding which set of beliefs to "promote" (or at least not shake up, yet); asking if the proof really matters, anyway. In the book, an explanation is given earlier that the "two" versions of history are merely different, not necessarily making one totally correct over the other, an explanation missing from the movie. Like Pilate asked "What is Truth?"
In the movie, Sophie tries to walk on water, and jokes about making water into wine, presumably due to having Jesus‘ and Mary‘s miracle-making genes or "blood." In the book, there is no such reference.
In the book, Leigh shows quotes of Leonardo da Vinci and many books includingHoly Blood, Holy Grail.
In the book Silas has red eyes and Sophie has green eyes while in the movie they have bright blue and brown eyes respectively.
In the book, Teabing puts peanut dust into Remy‘s cognac in order to poison him, since Remy has an allergy to peanuts. In the film, the method of poisoning is unspecified and Remy‘s allergy is not mentioned; therefore the circumstances of his death are still under heated debate among fans.
In the movie, the members of the Priory of Sion are revealed, but in the book, there is no such reference.
In the book, Langdon is a firm believer in Grail lore. However, in the film he dismisses most of it as myth and even argues with Teabing about it several times.
In the book, the fact that Sophie was a cryptologist was used to solve puzzles, whereas in the movie, it was only mentioned once at the Louvre. Langdon later reinforced her lack of cryptological skills by stating that she "can‘t solve it!"
At the end of the movie, a stubborn Aringarosa is placed under arrest by Fache as he is carried into an ambulance. In the book, the more repentant Aringarosa arranges to have the bearer bonds he acquired divided among the families of Silas‘s victims as he lays recovering on a hospital bed.
In the book, when Teabing and the rest are escaping from France, they call the pilot and say they need to go directly to London. In the movie, he says he is going to Zurich, and only mid-air, when they find a secret message in the Cryptex box, do they decide to turn the plane toward London.
In the book, Teabing claims that over 3 million women were burned at the stake during thewitch trials. In the movie, it is Langdon who first posits the figure of 50,000 people, and Teabing who goes on to add that "some people say much more, possibly millions."
In the book, Teabing‘s claim thatEmperor Constantine invented Christ‘s divinity is met by Langdon with a "soft nod of concurrence." In the movie, Langdon passionately challenges this claim of Teabing‘s as nonsense.
Whereas the book states unequivocally that it was the Christians who waged war on the pagans in an attempt to suppress them, in the movie this claim of Teabing‘s is met by an assertion from Langdon that we don‘t know whether it was the Christians or the Pagans who initiated the violence.
In the book, Sophie reads from theGospel of Philip that Jesus loved Mary Magdalene more than the other disciples and kissed her often on the mouth. The film Teabing reads the passage out loud, but is cut off by Robert just after the words "often on the . . ."!
In the novel Sophie has red hair, reinforcing her connection to Mary Magdalene, but the actress in the film (Audrey Tautou) is a brunette.
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Cast
Tom Hanks asRobert Langdon
Audrey Tautou asSophie Neveu (Julie Delpy andKate Beckinsale were two of the original actresses considered for the role)
Ian McKellen asSir Leigh Teabing
Alfred Molina asBishop Aringarosa
Paul Bettany asSilas
Jean Reno asBezu Fache
Jürgen Prochnow asAndré Vernet
Etienne Chicot asLt. Jérôme Collet
Jean-Pierre Marielle asJacques Saunière
Hugh Mitchell as Young Silas
Jean-Yves Berteloot asRémy Legaludec
Seth Gabel as Michael the Cleric
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Taglines
Seek The Truth
Seek the truth, seek the codes.[1]
So Dark The Con of Man.
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Filming
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The film rights were purchased from Dan Brown for$6,000,000. Filming had been scheduled to start in May2005; however, some delays caused filming to begin onJune 30,2005.
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Location
Permission to film on the premises was granted to the film by the Louvre (although, since the crew was not permitted to shine light on theMona Lisa, a replica was used instead, whilst the film crew used the Mona Lisa‘s chamber as a storage room), whileWestminster Abbey denied the use of its premises, as didSaint-Sulpice. The Westminster Abbey scenes were instead filmed atLincoln Cathedral andWinchester Cathedral, both belonging to theChurch of England.
Lincoln reportedly received £100,000 in exchange for the right to film there, with filming there occuring between 15 and 19 August 2005, mainly within the cloisters of the cathedral. The Cathedral‘s bell "Great Tom" which strikes the hour was silent for the first time since World War II during that time. Although it remained a closed set, protestors led by the 61-year-oldRoman Catholic nun Sister Mary Michael from Our Lady‘s Community of Peace and Mercy in Lincoln demonstrated against the filming, spending 12 hours praying on her knees outside the cathedral in protest against what she sees as the blasphemous use of a holy place to film a book which she considers to containheresy.[2]
Meanwhile Winchester answered criticism by using its location fee to fund an exhibition, lecture series and campaign to debunk the book[8],[9] and[10].
Filming also took place inFrance,London (including theTemple Church), andGermany.
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Studio shoots
The filmmakers also shot many of the internal scenes atPinewood Studios. The film‘s opening sequence was filmed in the cavernous "Albert R. Broccoli‘s 007 Stage" at Pinewood where the interior of the Louvre was recreated, away from the priceless paintings in the actual museum in France.
In the film‘s opening sequence, Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, is taken by French police to the Louvre, where a dead body has been discovered. David White of Altered States FX, a prosthetics and special makeup effects company which is based at London‘sShepperton Studios was tasked with creating a naked photo-realistic silicone body for the scene. (Lighting effects, however, were utilized to obscure the body‘s genitalia (an effect also used on television programmes such asCSI).
Pinewood‘s state-of-the-artUnderwater Stage was used to film underwater sequences. The stage opened in 2005 after four years of planning and development. The water in the tank is filtrated using an ultra violet system which creates crystal clear water and a comfortable environment to work in for both cast and crew. The tank is permanently filled and the water is maintained at 22 ?C (72 ?F).
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Pre-release reactions
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Catholic
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The Vatican
At a conference onApril 28,2006, the secretary of theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a Vaticancurial department formerly known as theInquisition, Archbishop Angelo Amato, specifically called for a boycott of the film version of The Da Vinci Code; he said the movie is "full ofcalumnies, offences, and historical and theological errors."[3]
Cardinal Francis Arinze, in a documentary called "The Da Vinci Code: A Masterful Deception," urged unspecified legal action against the makers of the film. "Those who blaspheme Christ and get away with it are exploiting the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who insult us. There are some other religions which if you insult their founder they will not be just talking. They will make it painfully clear to you," Arinze said. He is Prefect of theCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican.
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Opus Dei
Stating that it does not intend to organize any boycotts,Opus Dei (theCatholic organization that is featured prominently in the novel and the film) released a statement onFebruary 14,2006 askingSony Pictures to consider editing the soon-to-be-released film based on the bestseller, so that it would not contain references that it felt might be hurtful to Catholics. The statement also said Brown’s book offers a "deformed" image of the church and that Opus Dei will use the opportunity of the movie’s release to educate about the church.
OnEaster,April 16,2006, Opus Dei published an open letter by the Japanese Information Office of Opus Dei mildly proposing thatSony Pictures consider including adisclaimer on the film adaptation as a "sign of respect towards the figure ofJesus Christ, the history of the Church, and the religious beliefs of viewers." The organization also encouraged the studio to clearly label the movie as fictitious "and that any resemblance to reality is pure coincidence."
According to a statement by Manuel Sánchez Hurtado, Opus Dei Press Office Rome,[4] in contrast to Sony Corporation’s published "Code of Conduct" the company has announced that the film will not include such a disclaimer.
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American Catholic bishops
US Catholic bishops launched awebsite refuting the key claims in the novel that are about to be brought to the screen. The bishops are concerned about errors and serious misstatements in The Da Vinci Code. The film has also been rated morally offensive – by theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ Office for Film and Broadcasting, which denounced its depiction of both the Jesus-Mary Magdalene relationship and that of Opus Dei as "deeply abhorrent."
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Peru
The Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP) appointed the movie—and the book—as part of a "systematic attack on the Catholic Church"[11]. Furthermore, theArchbishop ofLima, a Cardinal and member of Opus Dei,Juan Luis Cipriani urged his community not to see the film: "If someone goes (to see the movie), they are giving money to those who hurt the faith. It‘s not a problem of fiction; if truth is not respected, what arises we could call white glove terrorism."[12]
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NOAH
The National Organization forAlbinism andHypopigmentation (NOAH) has expressed concern about Silas‘ character giving albinos a bad name. However, the filmmakers did not change his appearance. See alsoevil albino.
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Faroe Islands
The biggest cinema in theFaroe Islands, Havnar Bio, decided toboycott the film, effectively blocking it from the other smaller cinemas, who rely on second-hand films from this source, because it seems to be blasphemous in their point of view[13]. Havnar Bio is privately owned, and their decision is based on their own private opinion.
A private initiative by the individualHerluf Sørensen has arranged the movie to be played in the Faroe Islands, despite the boycotts. The movie is scheduled to run at theNordic House on the 5th June 2006.
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Philippines
SeeThe Da Vinci Code in the Philippines
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Thailand
Christian groups in thismostly Buddhist country protested the film and called for it to be banned. OnMay 16,2006, the Thai Censorship Committee issued a ruling that the film would be shown, but that the last 10 minutes would be cut. Also, some Thai subtitles were to be edited to change their meaning and passages from the Bible would also be quoted at the beginning and end of the film.
However, the following day, Sony Pictures appealed the ruling, saying it would pull the film if the decision to cut it was not reversed. The censorship panel then voted 6-5 that the film could be shown uncut, but that a disclaimer would precede and follow the film, saying it was a work of fiction.[14][15]
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Singapore
The National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) wrote to Information, Communications and the Arts Minister to register their "strongest objection" to the release of the film and requested that it be banned. The Media Development Authority, however, passed the unedited version of the movie, albeit with a NC16 rating, a restriction for children below the age of 16.[16]
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Samoa
The film was banned outright in Samoa after church leaders watching a pre-release showing filed a complaint to film censors.[17]
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India
There was a huge outcry in many states by the Christian minorities to ban the film from screening in India for the perceived anti-Christian message. This issue has even brought the minister responsible to view the film along with the senior Catholic representatives.
In the end, the movie was allowed to release without any cuts but with an A (Adults Only) certification from the Central Board for Film Certification and a 15-second Disclaimer added at the end stating that the movie was purely a tale of fiction. However the movie was delayed by a week by which time the grey market was flooded with pirated copies of the movie.
The screening of the film Da Vinci Code has been banned in Punjab, Goa, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.[18],[19] The Indian censor board however had cleared the movie for release on Friday,2 June.
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Middle East
The film is banned inLebanon[citation needed], however it is not banned inIranian cinemas[citation needed].
Pakistan on June 3rd, 2006 banned cinemas from showing "The Da Vinci Code" because it contained what officials calledblasphemous material aboutJesus. The authorities decided to ban it out of respect for the feelings of the country‘s Christians. Christians make up about 3 percent of Pakistan‘s 150 million people.[20]
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Pre-release reviews
As ofMay 24,2006, the film has a rating of 23% on theRotten Tomatoes website, representing 44 positive reviews out of the 193 total reviews currently available. Consensus judgment by theRotten Tomatoes critics: "What makes Dan Brown’s novel a best seller is evidently not present in this dull and bloated movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code."[21]
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Cast/crew response
Leading actor Tom Hanks has publicly denounced those who wish to boycott the film based on its biblical and historical inaccuracies. While admitting to theEvening Standard that those involved with the movie "always knew there would be a segment of society that would not want this movie to be shown," he adds that the film‘s story "is loaded with all sorts ofhooey and fun kind of scavenger-hunt-type nonsense." Hanks went on to diminish the critical value of The Da Vinci Code bashers by saying that if they "are going to take any sort of movie at face value, particularly a huge-budget motion picture like this, (they‘d) be making a very big mistake." While not downplaying the movie itself, Hanks stated that "all it is, is dialogue," adding that dialogue "never hurts." He also stated at theCannes Film Festival that he and his wife saw no contradiction between their faith and the film, as "My heritage, and that of my wife, suggests that our sins have been taken away, not our brains."[22]
Also at Cannes, Sir Ian McKellen was quoted as saying - "While I was reading the book I believed it entirely. Clever Dan Brown twisted my mind convincingly. But when I put it down I thought, ‘What a load of ... [eloquent pause] potentialcodswallop."[23] During a May 17, 2006 interview onThe Today Show with the Da Vinci Code cast and director,Matt Lauer posed a question to the group about how they would have felt if the film had borne a prominent disclaimer that it is a work of fiction, as some religious groups wanted. (Some high rankingVatican cabinet members had called for a boycott of the film.[5] ) McKellen responded, "I‘ve often thought theBible should have a disclaimer in the front saying ‘This is fiction.‘ I mean, walking on water? It takes. . . an act of faith. And I have faith in this movie—not that it‘s true, not that it‘s factual, but that it‘s a jolly good story." He continued, "And I think audiences are clever enough and bright enough to separate out fact and fiction, and discuss the thing when they‘ve seen it."[6]
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Marketing campaign

Alternate poster of the film
The film‘steaser trailer was released in the summer of2005, a full year before the film‘s worldwide release. It was released before a single frame of the movie had been shot. It features crevices with some hidden symbols and was later revealed as an image of Da Vinci‘s most famous painting, theMona Lisa.
The court case brought against Dan Brown byRichard Leigh andMichael Baigent, the authors of the non-fiction bookHoly Blood, Holy Grail has added to the film‘s publicity.
A cross-promotion also appeared onThe Amazing Race 9, where one team earned a trip to the movie‘s premiere in Hollywood, California. The prize was awarded to the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop bearing two parchments and demonstrating that, when combined, they revealed a picture of Leonardo Da Vinci‘s Vitruvian Man and a coded message; the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop did show the message and were awarded the prize.
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Press screenings
To limit exposure in the age of blogs and constant leaks, both Sony andImagine Entertainment, decided to forgo test screenings, a form ofmarket research usually considered critical to fine-tuning a picture. According to the studio representative, the strategy is to preserve a climate of mystery and excitement around the movie, despite the fact that anyone who is interested probably already knows the plot through having already read the book.[citation needed] Even theater owners saw the 2 1/2 hour film only 5 days before the film festival, which by exhibition standards is as last minute as it gets.[24]
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Promotional puzzles
As part of the lead up to the movie, various encrypted clues are being placed in movie trailers and interviews. In mid-April, two such clues appeared in the Da Vinci Code interviews onEntertainment Tonight andThe Insider, as highlighted letters in the names of interviewees.
In February, Sony, in cooperation with Grace Hill Media, launchedThe Da Vinci Dialogue (aka The Da Vinci Challenge), a fairly comprehensive web site which is intended to defuse Christian opposition to the movie. The site mixes some mild criticisms with movie promotional material.
Information and solutions / discussion on both the original webquests and the more recent Google-sponsored webquests can be found at theThe Da Vinci Code WebQuests article on Wikipedia.
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Reactions to the film
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Protests
There have been protesters at several movie theaters across the United States on opening weekend protesting the themes of the film, citing it asblasphemy and claiming that it shames both the Catholic Church, andJesus Christ himself. More than 200 protesters also turned out inAthens, Greece to protest the film‘s release shortly before opening day.[7] In Pittsburgh, protesters also showed up at a special screening of the film the day before its widespread release.[8] Protests also occurred at the filming sites, but only a monk and a nun stood in a quiet protest at the Cannes premiere[25].
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Critics‘ response
Critical response to the film is mixed.
On the one hand, the film was not well received at theCannes Film Festival.[26] In addition, some film critics such asMichael Medved gave the film two stars (out of four) saying, ". . .all the considerable acting talent in the film is wasted . . ." and "the plot twists and sudden reverses . . . seem silly, arbitrary, and entirely contrived – never growing organically out of the story-line or the thinly sketched characters."[27]
On the other hand, other critics liked the film.Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and stated, "the movie works; it‘s involving, intriguing and constantly seems on the edge of startling revelations."[28] Lawrence Toppman ofThe Charlotte Observer, who also liked the film, gave it three and a half (out of four stars) and noted, "unlike most Hollywood blockbusters, this one assumes audience members will be smart."[29]
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Box office response
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Opening weekend
Despite the protests, the film still opened with an estimated $29 million in box office sales on its opening day, averaging $7764 per screen.[9] During its opening weekend, moviegoers spent an estimated $77 million in America, and $224 million worldwide, according to Sony Pictures. The Da Vinci Code is the best domestic opening for both Tom Hanks and Ron Howard.[10]
It also enjoyed the biggest opening weekend for the year to date, and the second biggest worldwide opening weekend ever, just behind 2005‘sStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.[30] This has led some critics, particularly in the UK, to moot the idea of the ‘critic-proof film‘[31].
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Ranking and current gross
The movie was easily the #1 movie domestically at the box office during the week of May 19-25, 2006, grossing $102.5 million during that span.
According to Boxofficemojo.com, as of June 4, 2006, The Da Vinci Code has grossed an estimated $172.7 million domestically (3rd highest of 2006) and an estimated $581.7 million worldwide (2nd highest of 2006) since its release on May 19, 2006.[32]
In theNetherlands, the film was released onMay 18 in 127 cinemas. The film debuted at #1 grossing over€ 2,249,322 in its first week, the highest debut in 2006. In its second week, it topped the Boxoffice Top 10 again, grossing over €1,996,735 in that week. As ofMay 31, the film has grossed a total of € 4,246,057.[11]
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Trivia
There is a quick shot of a poster for an operatic version ofLes Miserables.Victor Hugo, the author of the book, has been listed in some documents as the 24th Grand Master of thePriory of Sion.
Dan Brown is listed as one of the film‘s executive producers, as well as the writer (along with Anna Kulp) of "additional codes" for the film. He is also credited with writing and performing one of the film‘s songs, "Phiano," courtesy of his label "DBG Records."
A possible spoof of "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" occurs when Langdon, Sophie, and their elderly accomplice Teabing discover a scripture engraved upon metal plating behind the cryptex case‘s rose panel. The dimly lit scene, in which Teabing and Langdon examine the engravings, echoes a similar scene in which Frodo and Gandalf examine the engravings upon the ring of power. The particular markings upon the ring and panel do resemble each other. As Ian McKellan played both Gandalf and Teabing, this may have been an in-joke amongst the director and cast.
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Cameos
Brown and his wife can be seen in the (out of focus) background of one of the book signing scenes.
The authors of bookThe Templar Revelation, a major source of information on the Priory of Sion myth, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, make a brief appearance as characters on a bus.
Langdon is seen near the beginning of the movie signing copies of a book called Symbols of the Lost Sacred Feminine.
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Ratings
Canada: 14A (British Columbia Film Classification Office,Ontario Film Review Board)
India: Film released in India after an agreement to run 15 seconds announcements at the beginning and end of the movie. Statement: "The characters and incidents portrayed and the names herein are fictitious, and any similarity to the name, character or history of any person is entirely coincidental and unintentional." Film banned in Punjab Goa, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, and Pondicherry.
BBFC: 12A (Contains flagellation and other moderate violence)
Hong Kong: IIA (Not Suitable for Children)
MDA (Singapore): NC16 (Not suitable for Children below 16 years old)[33]
MPAA: PG-13 (Disturbing Images, Some Nudity, Thematic Material, Brief Drug References and Sexual Content)
OFLC: M (Moderate Violence, Moderate Themes)
MTRCB (Philippines): R-18 (Restricted to children below 18 years old)
IFCO (Ireland): 15A (Very strong violence, menace & self-harm)
VET (Finland): K-15
(Australia): M15+
(Norway): 15+ years (12+ with parents)
Malaysia: 18PL (Restricted to children below 18 years as it contains non excessive religous, violent scenes)
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See also
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code WebQuests
The Da Vinci Code (video game)
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References
^ near the end of the trailer of the film, the word "Seek" is highlighted, along with the letters T, H, S, E, C, D, E, and O. It has been rumored that this may be ananagram meaning "Seek The Codes." There is ablog, run by Sony Pictures, which will most likely lead to another Da Vinci Code Hunt. The person allegedly running the site is called "Lisa S." This is not only a reference to the book and the Mona Lisa, but an anagram of "Silas," the name of the fictitious Opus Dei Character.[citation needed]
^[1],[2],[3],[4] and[5]
^ "Reaffirm the Resurrection, Pope urges faithful", Catholic World News,May 1,2006.
^ Sánchez Hurtado, Manuel, "The Other Code", Opus Dei Press Office,May 17,2006.
^ Philip Pullella, "Boycott Da Vinci Code film",Reuters 28 April 2006. Accessed 20 May 2006.
^ "Ian McKellen Unable to Suspend Disbelief While Reading the Bible", Us Weekly 17 May 2006. Video clip availablehere.
^ "Hundreds of Greek Orthodox march to protest Da Vinci Code movie", Deutsche Presse-Agentur,May 16,2006.
^ "Locals Protest ‘Da Vinci Code‘ Movie", KDKA News,May 19,2006.
^ "‘Da Vinci Code‘ opens with estimated $29 million", CNN,May 20,2006.
^ CNN"‘Da Vinci Code‘ a hot ticket"
^Boxoffice NL