Beijing beats Cannes to 'Da Vinci' premiere

Despite all the hype around The Da Vinci Code's premiere in Cannes Wednesday, China ended up screening the controversial thriller before the famed film festival.

According to a report from China's Xinhua news agency, The Da Vinci Code unspooled at a Beijing theatre about four and a half hours before screening in Cannes, where it was the festival's opening night film.

A spokesperson with China Film Group Corporation, The Da Vinci Code's Chinese distributor, estimated the movie would take in more than 60 million yuan (about $8.4 million) at the Chinese box office.

"The company has decided to show the movie simultaneously in big cities across the country with over 380 copies in over 30 cinema lines," spokesperson Xu Bing toldXinhua.

According to Xinhua, many believe that The Da Vinci Code will be as big a hit in China as it is expected to be in the rest of the world based on the popularity of the original Dan Brown novel as well as the general public's curiosity at the protests and boycotts urged by religious groups worldwide.

Hollywood is also hoping the film will do well in China: U.S. film officials have been courting the government to allow more Hollywood titles into Chinese theatres. Also at issue is the battle to strengthen China's theatregoing audience and combat the country's lucrative and prevalent trade in low-cost pirated Hollywood films on DVD.

Religious protests in China, elsewhere

China has not been immune to religious reaction over The Da Vinci Code. The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association has accused the film of "violating religious ethics and morals and insulting the feelings of clergy and followers."

The group also urged Chinese Catholics to boycott the movie, which stars Tom Hanks investigating a conspiracyto hide that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children.

However, while China's censors have edited sections out of Hollywood films in the past, they approved The Da Vinci Code for theatrical release without any cuts in late March.

A significant backlash against The Da Vinci Code has emerged worldwide over the past few weeks, most surprisingly in Asia, despite the fact that the major religions in the region are Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.

Christian leaders in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, India and South Korea have been aggressive and vocal in urging censorship, bans and boycotts.

In the Philippines, where the majority of citizens are Roman Catholic, the Manila City Council banned The Da Vinci Code on Thursday. It threatened to issue fines or jail time to theatres caught screening it or those selling pirated versions for personal viewing.

The decision came after Filipino film censors OK'd the movie but gave it an adult-only rating earlier this week.

The Da Vinci Codeopens in North America Friday.