Rome, May 20 (Reuters): The Da Vinci Code has broken box office records in Roman Catholic Italy as tens of thousands of Italians ignored Vatican calls to boycott the film.

The movie adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestseller earned 2 million euros ($2.6 million) on its opening night, nearly double the takings of Italy’s previous top film, Oscar-winner Roberto Benigni’s 1997 tragi-comic Holocaust drama Life is Beautiful. Italian news agencies reported record queues around the country to see the film of the novel that ignited Vatican ire by saying Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene and the Catholic Church hushed this up.

Millions worldwide are expected to flock to see the film on its opening weekend, shrugging off protests by Christian groups and tepid reviews at its Cannes film festival premiere this week. Many Christians across the world believe the theories in The Da Vinci Code are blasphemous, and the Vatican has led an offensive against the book and the film, calling for a boycott. Members of ultra-Catholic group, Christian Militants, picketed some cinemas in central Rome, close to the Vatican, chanting: “Dan Brown remember you will also be judged by Christ”.

The Da Vinci Code drew big crowds in major Chinese cities on the first day of its general release, but its controversial religious themes puzzled audiences, who for the most part have little knowledge of Christian theology, newspapers reported today.