'Angels & Demons' rakes in Rs.19 mn in India over 1st weekend

New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) Tom Hanks-starrer 'Angels and Demons', which released in India Friday mostly across single-screens has grossed around Rs.19 million in its first weekend.

The movie that has already gained the top spot at the US box office released in India with 133 prints across 135 screens in four languages - English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu - mainly in single-screens across the country.

'We are very happy to have done very well and see audiences coming back to cinemas in a big way. We have had around 80-100 percent occupancy and that too despite being mostly in single-screens,' Sony Pictures Entertainment managing director Kercy Daruwala told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Surprisingly for a Hollywood film, 'Angels & Demons' did not release in most of the multiplexes despite having topped the US box office with opening weekend collections of $48 million.

On being asked if it was due to the ongoing producers, distributors and multiplex strike, he said: 'The multiplexes did not come to terms with us for revenue sharing of the film and so we couldn't release it there despite wanting to. But it has got nothing to do with the strike. We have however released in a few multiplexes across the country.'

A prequel to the 2006 hit 'The Da Vinci Code', 'Angles & Demons' is an adaptation of best-selling author Dan Brown's religious-mystery book by the same name.

Directed by Ron Howard, the film also stars Ayelet Zurer and Ewan McGregor apart from Hanks, who reprises his role as Harvard professor and religious expert Robert Langdon.

In the film, Langdon attempts to thwart the Illuminati, a 400-year-old underground organisation and their plans to wreak havoc on the Vatican.

The movie, like 'The Da Vinci Code', also faced the ire of church officials for its portrayal of the Catholic Church globally.

Earlier slated for a May 15 release, on the same date as in the US, it got delayed due to the censor board and marketing problems.