China, in dispute with the Vatican over its appointment of bishops without papal approval, pipped Cannes at the post by hours to host the world premiere of "The Da Vinci Code," Xinhua news agency said.

"With a shining cast and controversial plot, the movie is expected to be a massive hit both because of the novel's worldwide sales record of over 40 million copies and protests from religious circles," Xinhua said in an overnight report.

Kicking off the annual Cannes film festival, Ron Howard's adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller, starring Tom Hanks, has been panned by most critics.

The novel has enraged religious groups because one of its characters argues that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and had a child by her, and that elements within the Catholic Church resorted to murder to hide the truth.

Xu Bing, a spokesman with the China Film Group Corporation, the movie's China distributor, estimated it would reap over 60 million yuan ($7.5 million) in China where fake copies of all Hollywood blockbusters are available on street corners within days of their release.

"The company has decided to show the movie simultaneously in big cities across the country with over 380 copies in over 30 cinema lines," Xu told Xinhua at the Beijing premiere where the film was shown four-and-a-half hours before it hit the screen in Cannes.

Li Chow, general manager of the Columbia Triastar Film Distributors International China, said no part of the movie has been cut for its release in China.