Ignoring reviews, big crowds await 'Da Vinci Code'

LOS ANGELES, May 18 (Reuters) First reviews for ''The Da Vinci Code'' may be mostly scathing, but box office experts say they expect the Mona Lisa to keep smiling all the way to the bank this weekend.

The experts say the religious-themed thriller can expect to haul in between million and million, when it opens domestically on Friday -- more than enough to compensate for the laughter, jeers and sneers it received when shown to critics at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday.

Print reviews of the movie version of the world's biggest-selling novel were also less than kind.

Daily Variety critic Todd McCarthy said, ''Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldman have drained all the fun out of the melodrama, leaving ... an oppressive talky film that is as close to dull as one could imagine with such provocative material.'' The Hollywood Reporter's critic, Kirk Honeycutt, complained the film ''never rises to the level of a guilty pleasure. Too much guilt. Not enough pleasure.'' In early reviews, only Lou Lumenick of the New York Post cheered, '''The Da Vinci Code' is the Holy Grail of summer blockbusters: a crackling, fast-moving thriller that's every bit as brainy and irresistible as Dan Brown's controversial bestseller.'' Movie ticketing service Fandango said the film was accounting for 78 percent of all the agency's advance sales, and 88 percent of those buying tickets said they had read the book, which has sold more than 40 million copies.

COULD BAD REVIEWS HELP? The service also reported that 74 percent of those buying tickets said their religious beliefs did not affect their decision. The book has come under criticism from religious groups who object to its premise that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had a child together.

By comparison, advance ticket purchases for DreamWorks Animation Studio's ''Over the Hedge,'' also opening Friday, accounted for 4 percent of sales.

Box office watcher Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Inc., said the bad reviews may help the box office, at least in the short term.

''It means people are talking about this movie, and you have to remember that there is often a disconnect between critics and audiences. What will really count for this film is word of mouth, and that will not make itself felt until the second or third weekend,'' he said.

He said he would expect that the film would make about million in its opening weekend.

Chad Hartigan, box office analyst for Reel Source said he expected the film to do between million and million in its first weekend, helped in no small part by the public's awareness of the novel.

''Our office saw the film and thought it was great. The general public will be more forgiving than the mainstream critics,'' he said.

MovieTickets.com said ''The Da Vinci Code'' was tracking very high in advance of its weekend opener and had 10 times more tickets sold than ''Mission: Impossible III'' during the same time in its sales cycle.

The Tom Cruise action film, the first of the summer's big-budget movies, opened two weeks ago to a disappointing weekend gross of just under million.

Brandon Gray of Boxofficemojo.com said he thought ''The Da Vinci Code'' would gross about million in its first three days. ''It has real audience interest and a real fan base,'' he said.

Reuters SK GC0627