Entertainment

02:08 AM CDT on Sunday, May 21, 2006

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — “The Da Vinci Code” banked an estimated $29 million at the box office on its first day in theaters, an industry official said Saturday, positioning the film to turn in the strongest opening weekend for any movie this year.

Preliminary results showed that the movie, based on a runaway best-seller and starring multiple-Oscar winner Tom Hanks, appealed to moviegoers despite lackluster reviews.

The Columbia Pictures movie opened in 3,735 theaters in the U.S. and grossed a respectable average of $7,764 per screen.

“This is the first big film of the summer to exceed box office expectations,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co., Inc., which tracks box office receipts.

Dergarabedian said the movie could gross $60 million to $80 million in its opening weekend. That would easily eclipse Tom Cruise's latest offering, Paramount's “Mission: Impossible III,” which fell well below expectation with $48 million on its opening weekend earlier this month.

For “Da Vinci Code,” controversy around a script that suggests Jesus married and fathered a child “only served to pump up the marketplace and get moviegoers get really interested in seeing what the fuss was about,” Dergarabedian said.

“Whether you are a fan of the book or just a lover of great mystery thrillers, this film is a true entertainment event,” said Steve Elzer, a spokesman for Columbia Pictures. “We had an exceptionally strong Friday with sell out business reported in territories virtually all over the world.”

The film's box office take was notable in a shaky Hollywood market but far from record-setting. Twenty-nine films have had single-day receipts that exceeded $30 million.

The record for the biggest opening day, $50 million, is held by last year's “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.”

Preliminary three-day box-office estimates were to be released Sunday, with final figures expected Monday.