Banners promoting the release of "The Da Vinci Code" hang from a Sony building in downtown Tokyo, Friday, May 19, 2006. The U.S. Roman Catholic group Human Life International announced they will commence boycotting Sony products, the Kyodo News reported from New York on May 18. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
South Korea
South Korean Christians pray in a protest campaign against "The Da Vinci Code" in front of a movie theater in Incehon, west of Seoul, Friday, May 19, 2006. A South Korean court on Tuesday rejected an injunction a South Korean Christian group filed last month to try to stop a movie distributor from showing the movie, saying the group's argument lacked merit. The letters on the bands read "Jesus is a son of God".
Moldova
Moldovan orthodox nuns protest outside a movie theater before the premiere of The Da Vinci Code movie in Chisinau, Moldova, Thursday May 18 2006. Most Moldovan orthodox communities protested against the general release of the movie in the country.
France
Protesters gather around a banner reading "Hate and Lies, Da Vinci Flop." demonstration in Paris, Wednesday, May 17, 2006, as they wait outside before a theater screening "The Da Vinci Code" in Paris. Director Ron Howard's adaptation of Dan Brown's blockbuster opened the Cannes Film Festival Wednesday night at a glitzy black-tie premiere.
Indian Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi, center, reacts in anger to a journalist's query after a special screening of the "The Da Vinci Code" in New Delhi, May 17, 2006. Das Munshi saw the film, but deferred any decision on its release until the Censor board looked into the objections raised by some Catholic groups.
France
Sister Mary Michael, from Lincoln, England, stages a protest against the film "The Da Vinci Code" in front of the Cannes Festival Palace where the film is due to premiere in Cannes, southern France, on Wednesday, May 17, 2006. Director Ron Howard agrees that the movie, like the novel, "is likely to be upsetting to some people," but insists his movie is "supposed to be entertainment" and "not theology."
Vatican City
St. Peter's Basilica is framed by an open-deck sightseeing bus bearing advertising for "The Da Vinci Code" driving outside Vatican City on May 12, 2006. The controversial movie, which has drawn protests around the world, will debut at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 17.
On 'SNL'
In this image provided by NBC on May 7, 2006, "The Da Vinci Code" star Tom Hanks, right, in his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, fields questions from Catholic clergy (Chris Parnell) and Jesus (Jason Sudeikis) on the controversy surrounding the film of the best-selling novel.
Singapore
People walk past a poster for "The Da Vinci Code" at a Singapore subway station on May 16, 2006. The hype surrounding the film based on the Dan Brown book has only whetted Singaporeans' desire to see the film, which opens this week despite a request by a national church group that the movie be banned.
India
Joseph Dias, left, head of the Catholic Secular Forum, speaks with nuns during a hunger strike against the Indian censor board's decision to clear "The Da Vinci Code" for release in Bombay, India, on May 16, 2006. The Indian government later put a temporary hold on the release of the film, saying it must address concerns raised by some groups before the film is permitted to be screened at cinemas.
France
Father Antoine de Rochebrune shows a leaflet headlining "The Da Vinci Code and the Opus Dei" in the chapel of the Opus Dei in Paris on May 11, 2006. The conservative Catholic organization fights allegations of Dan Brown's novel "Da Vinci Code" that contends Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had descendants, and that Opus Dei and the Catholic Church were at the center of covering it up.
Greece
Greek Orthodox nuns protest in front of the Parliament in Athens on May 16, 2006. Some 200 protesters waving crucifixes and Greek flags demonstrated against "The Da Vinci Code," which opens in Athens movie theaters on May 18.
Greece
A Greek Orthodox monk holding a Greek and a Byzintine flag protests in front of the Parliament in Athens on May 16, 2006. Some 200 protesters waving crucifixes and Greek flags demonstrated Tuesday against "The Da Vinci Code." The movie opens in Athens on May 18.
Philippines
Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Chairwoman Marissa Laguardia gestures during a press conference on May 16, 2006, in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila. Philippine censors approved an adult rating for the movie "The Da Vinci Code," which is deemed blashphemous by influential Roman Catholic leaders in the country.
Thailand
A Thai woman walks by a poster for "The Da Vinci Code" in Bangkok on May 16, 2006. A coalition of Christian church groups in Thailand urged the government to ban the movie, saying it could mislead Thais who know little about Christianity. The film has sparked calls for boycotts and protests, mainly by Roman Catholic leaders who have criticized the book on which it is based as offensive and a distortion of their faith.