Via The [London] Independent: The Chinese government has ordered theater owners to stop showing Ron Howard's adaptation of The Da Vinci Code. The Hollywood thriller has been in wide release in China for three weeks. As per the official story, the ban is supposed to make space for Chinese films – except that another Hollywood blockbuster, Ice Age: The Meltdown, is opening in China today.
This marks the first time that a foreign film has been pulled from Chinese theaters. The Catholic Church – whose local leaders have ties to the Communist government – have protested the showing of The Da Vinci Code and have asked Chinese Christians to boycott the film. The boycott, however, didn't have much of an impact in a country where Catholics and Christians in general represent a small minority. The Da Vinci Code has already earned more than US$15 million, and was on its way to becoming one of the highest-grossing films ever in China.
"Islam teaches us to respect all the prophets of Allah Almighty and degradation of any prophet is tantamount to defamation of the rest." So says Pakistan's Culture Minister Ghulam Jamal in regard to the portrayal of the "prophet" Jesus in Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman's film version of The Da Vinci Code, which has been called blasphemous by radical Christians as well.
Along with his cohorts, Jamal decides which movies Pakistanis can and cannot see. As a result, The Da Vinci Code is a no-no in Pakistan, at least until a more enlightened – and secular – government takes over. Additionally, the religious radicals in the Pakistani government are thinking of banning Dan Brown's book as well. The suspense novel has been available for some time in that country.
It's in cases such as this one that pirated DVDs and illegal Internet downloads of movies (or books) provide an undeniable sociopolitical service.
Quote source: BBC.