The numbers are in and the Da Vinci Code raked in 77 million in the states and 224 million worldwide which makes it the second largest worldwide release in history after "Star Wars: Episode III".....Not bad for a movie that was hammered by the film critics and the various religious institutions around the country. Not sure what to make of it all but am reminded that boycotts and criticism generally have the opposite effect when it comes to entertainment. ...or as the saying goes...."there is no such thing as bad press".....Some of the critics will of course want to suggest that this is further evidence of the dumbing/gullibility of the masses but I for one don't think the masses are as dumb or as barbaric as the elite make them out. This may be oversimplistic to suggest but I think people in general just like a good story and they want to be entertained and this film appears to fill the bill despite what many of the snooty critics say otherwise.....By the way....both Ebert and Roper gave the film thumbs up, so not all the critics are riding the bash the Da Vinci Code bandwagon.....Regarding the religious criticisms and concerns....I understand why many of the religious leaders and followers are concerned but when will they learn that their over the top attempts to torpedo the film industry are counter productive to their cause. Harry Potter, Star Wars, the Exorcist, etc., just to name of few of the films over the years that received extensive criticism from the religious community. Personally I think they would be better off to just encourage their people to go because the "don't touch the forbidden fruit" approach didn't work in the garden and it hasn't worked since....but to each his/her own, I suppose.....