This article is a few weeks old, but it just showed up in our local paper today: A WSJ piece on Sony’s tactics for "avoiding" controversy with DVC

(Whether or not they really want to avoid controversy is a question that is unasked and unanswered. Personally, I’m thinking…no.)

The article misses something important. The reason for hiring Grace Hill Media to market this film to the Christian community is not to "avoid controversy." It’s to…market the film to the Christian community. It’s to generate just the right amount of the right kind of controversy and to make people who are on the other side of the DVC assertions that they really need to see this movie in order to "enter the dialogue."

(Here’s the answer to that.)

Sales. Profit. $$$$$. That’s the reason Sony’s hired all of these folks. Not only to direct the conversation but to convince doubters that they’ll be missing out on something if they don’t enter this cultural moment by buying tickets to see The Da Vinci Code.