The Boomerang Effect

It seems all of that controversy surrounding The Da Vinci Code only fueled ticket sales for its first weekend. Indeed, protests, boycotts and the bevy of bad reviews did not matter one bit, as the film's estimated gross, managed to beat industry expectations by some $6 million

As Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo reports:

'The Da Vinci Code' was a box office revelation, unlocking an estimated $77 million over the weekend, and there was room for 'Over The Hedge ' to snare an estimated $37.2 million [for the second place spot]...

The full report crunches all of the important numbers for you

Meantime, Dave McNary and Ben Fritz of Variety are all over the story of the year's first big film and its worldwide success.

Thriller Finds Global Grail and World in Louvre with 'Code'

Sometimes a few bad reviews and some controversy can do a world of good. The suits at Sony Pictures dodged a very BIG bullet.