5月17日，由同名小说改编的电影《达芬奇密码》将在北京新世纪影院首映，中国成为全球最早放映这部影片的国家，比世界其它地区的首映日提前两天。同时，该片作为今年戛纳国际电影节的开幕影片，也于本月17日晚在法国亮相，但上映时间比中国晚6个小时。这部根据畅销同名小说改编的影片讲述了法国罗浮宫馆长遭到谋杀，哈佛大学符号学专家罗伯特·兰登开始调查谋杀现场令人费解的密码，不料却发现了一连串隐藏在达·芬奇名画背后令人震惊的故事。

The U.S. blockbuster "Da Vinci Code" will be screened in Beijing New Century Cinema on May 17, two days ahead of its world release. The film will also open this year's Cannes Film Festival, six hours after the show begins in China. "Da Vinci Code" is the U.S. director Ron Howard's 125-million-dollar screen version of Dan Brown's best-selling book, which stars Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou. The story tells of Jesus marrying Mary Magdalene and having a child by her whose descendants are still alive today. "The film passed the approval of China's state film administration without any problems," said a spokesman from the Beijing office of the Colombia Distribution Co. Ltd. A member of staff at the Beijing New Century Cinema said an international film star would be attending the screening but refused to reveal his or hers identity. "Da Vinci Code" has sparked controversy over its "sacrilegious " story and has met opposition from many countries worldwide. Some religious groups in India have called on people to protest against the movie. Singapore's national film administration listed the film into grade NC-16, saying the film is not suitable for children without discretion. In Britain, the film was forced to make changes in its music and sound effects so that "children aged under 12 could watch the film accompanied by their parents". In contrast, "Da Vinci Code" has not encountered any difficulties in China. Several local cinemas in Beijing have all reported good sales ahead of the release. (China Daily)

Vocabulary:

blockbuster: 引起轰动的（影片） release: （影片）放映 sacrilegious: grossly irreverent toward what is or is held to be sacred（渎圣的；冒犯神灵的）