LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – The box office gods frowned on the new Tom Hanks religious thriller “Angels & Demons,” which was the top film worldwide at the weekend, but fell far short of its much-hyped predecessor “The Da Vinci Code.”
Distributor Columbia Pictures said yesterday the $150 million sequel earned about $48 million during its first three days of release in North America, merely the sixth-biggest opener of the year so far.
Guided by the studio, box office pundits had expected “Angels” to open in the $40 million to $50 million range, and Columbia said it was thrilled with the result.
But “The Da Vinci Code” opened to $77 million in 2006 on its way to a domestic haul of $217.5 million. The sequel should pass the $150 million mark, said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution at the Sony Corp unit.
“Angels” also earned $104.3 million from No. 1 starts in 96 countries, down from the $147 million start for “Da Vinci.”
Inevitably, the new film failed to replicate the buzz of the first one. “The Da Vinci Code,” based on a bestselling book by Dan Brown, generated a firestorm of criticism with its premise that Jesus impregnated Mary Magdalene and that church officials tried to keep their bloodline secret.
