‘Temptation’ to Open in Santa Ana on Friday

“The Last Temptation of Christ” will open in Orange County and seven other new markets on Friday, after what a Universal Studios spokesman called a “phenomenal” box office take during the controversial picture’s first weekend of limited release.

The Martin Scorsese picture, which many evangelical Christians and Roman Catholic bishops contend gives a disrespectful and inaccurate portrayal of Jesus, will open in Santa Ana at the AMC MainPlace theater, AMC spokesman Ron Foreman said Wednesday.

After viewing it, “we concluded we weren’t philosophically opposed to running the picture,” Foreman said.

“We respect the feelings of the people who are opposed to the picture being shown, but in our judgment there is an audience for the picture out there, so we’re happy to show it,” he said.

The movie will also open Friday in Austin, Tex.; Detroit; Houston; Philadelphia; Phoenix; San Diego, and Tucson, Universal publicist Alan Sutton said Wednesday.

Sutton said the film grossed $401,211 over its first weekend of release, when it played in Los Angeles and seven other cities.

The average revenue of $44,579 per screen was “phenomenal” Sutton said.

Word of the picture, based on the 1955 novel by Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis, has drawn vitriolic reactions from some Christian leaders who contend that it diminishes Jesus’ status as God incarnate.

Evangelical leaders, even though they had not seen the picture, staged protests that some observers contended were anti-Semitic. Although director Scorsese is a Roman Catholic and Kazantzakis was Greek Orthodox, protesters have focused their attacks on some Universal executives who are Jewish.

Foreman said Wednesday that “the anti-Semitic overtones of some of the protests we’ve seen are disturbing and abhorrent to us,” but he said AMC had no objections to peaceful demonstrations that some evangelicals say will be held outside the theaters.

“They don’t have the right to accost people in line or vandalize the theater, but they do have the right to express how they feel in any other acceptable manner,” he said.

The vice president of Tustin-based Trinity Broadcasting Network, Philip Crouch, said Wednesday that “we have heard of one or two groups that plan to organize protest marches” against the Santa Ana theater but that his evangelical television programs will not encourage people to demonstrate.

“This is a most reprehensible film,” said Crouch, adding that he recognized people have a right to see it if they wish.