CHINA pulled The Da Vinci Code from all cinemas yesterday, giving no reason for the unprecedented decision to withdraw a foreign film.

An official at the New Century Cinema in Beijing, where the film opened on May 17 at a glittering premiere hours before its debut in Cannes, said that he had been ordered to stop showing it from today. He added: “We were told it’s due to special reasons. If you want to watch it you had better come today.”

Officials at the Film Bureau declined to comment. However, film company executives said they had been told that the movie was being withdrawn to make way for Chinese films. That explanation was contradicted by the release today of another Hollywood blockbuster, Ice Age: The Meltdown.

Film regulators may have made the decision after protests from religious groups. One cinema clerk in Beijing said: “We received a notice from the Beijing Government asking us to stop the film. It might be something to do with the religious content.” China’s state-run Church had urged its followers to boycott the film, accusing it of violating religious ethics.

Liu Bainian, the vice-president of the official China Catholic Patriotic Association, said: “The movie has many details that go against the Catholic teachings or are even insulting.”

Only an estimated 16 million to 47 million of China’s 1.3 billion people are Christians. China is officially an atheist country, although its constitution guarantees religious freedom. Relations between Beijing and the Vatican, which do not have diplomatic ties, had begun to show signs of a thaw but turned chilly again last month when China installed two bishops in the state-backed Catholic Church without the Holy See’s approval.

The film has been banned in several Indian states, as well as Fiji, Pakistan and some other countries, for offending religious sensibilities.

It was given the widest release of any foreign film in China, breaking the record set by King Kong last year. Executives said that box-office proceeds were approaching those of Pearl Harbor, which made $13 million (£7 million).

However, some cinemas said that the Harry Potter films and Lord of the Rings trilogy had outsold The Da Vinci Code, and that audiences were only a little above average for a blockbuster. The film’s Chinese distributor had estimated that the adaptation of the Dan Brown novel would make more than $7.5 million in China.

Cyrus Man, a marketing executive with Edko Films Company in Hong Kong, said: “They are transferring some films from the China market to other territories (in Asia). It is mainly a business decision.”

Pirate DVD copies of the film have been available in China since two days after its release, although the quality is poor. Better-quality copies are likely to be available, for about 80p, later in the year.

FILM REVIEW

• 2005 Chinese box-office takings were up one third to $247m from 2004

• The China Film Stellar cinema chain became the biggest in Beijing, owning a total of 73 cinemas after acquiring another 23 last year

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