CANNES, France, May 18 (UPI) -- Sony is banking on fans of Dan Brown's novel, "The Da Vinci Code," not to be swayed by negative reviews of the film at the Cannes Film Festival.
So far, the summer box-office season has not gone well for the first two blockbusters out of Hollywood's gate -- "Poseidon" flopped and ticket sales for "Mission: Impossible III" have been lower than expected, The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
"Da Vinci" boasts an award-winning director in Ron Howard, popular star Tom Hanks and a story that has sold more than 40 million copies in print worldwide, the Times noted.
Negative reports -- most using the word "boring" -- began appearing in print, on TV and around the Web following Tuesday night's press screening in Cannes.
Bad reviews don't necessarily mean bad box-office takes and, ultimately, the public will decide the fate of "The Da Vinci Code" when it opens worldwide Friday, the newspaper noted.
