Government changed its mind:

In a stunning about-face that is sure to send shock waves through Hollywood, the government of China has decided to yank the controversial thriller "The Da Vinci Code" from the country’s theaters starting today, Sony Pictures confirmed Wednesday.

The decision, made in the wake of protests from Catholic groups, comes three weeks after the movie opened in China on nearly 400 screens — the biggest rollout there of a film by a major U.S. studio. The film has already grossed $13 million in the Asian nation.

"What can we say? We are surprised and disappointed about it," said Jeff Blake, Sony’s head of worldwide marketing and distribution. "The good news is that we did a substantial amount of business in China."

[snip]

Another factor may have been the movie’s spectacular performance, some sources speculated.

The Chinese government, while encouraging certain kinds of foreign investment, has had an uneasy relationship with Western media. It has suggested that it is concerned about its citizens being overexposed to other cultures and ideas. Authorities limit the number of foreign movies in theaters to about 20 a year.