Da Vinci Code takes £119m

Movie blockbuster The Da Vinci Code has made £119million at the box office worldwide in its first three days at cinemas - the second-highest total ever.

Only Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith took more.

The adaptation of Dan Brown's novel made £8.4 million in Britain and £41.2 million in the US, said distributor Columbia Pictures.

But the film's opening has been overshadowed by piracy and copyright rows.

Today, days after its premiere, bootleg DVDs of The Da Vinci Code were on sale in Shanghai for five yuan (33p).

The quality was poor: early pirated copies of movies are often made with handheld camcorders in movie houses.

One buyer said he could see people walking in front of the screen.

"I could even hear someone drinking Coke or something," he added, saying that he lost patience halfway through and vowed to go to the cinema.

A sales assistant at a DVD shop said "better quality" versions would probably be available early next month.

Meanwhile the film's maker, Sony BMG Entertainment, is being sued by Universal Music in a dispute over the rights to the soundtrack.

Universal, which has the rights to the official soundtrack, is asking the High Court to block Sony BMG from distributing a "Music Inspired by Da Vinci" CD in Britain.