MOVIES - Aug. 24, 1988

Even as its box office success was cooling, Martin Scorsese’ controversial film “The Last Temptation of Christ” was condemned anew this week--this time by a prelate of the Greek Orthodox Church. Archbishop Seraphim of Athens, the Orthodox Church leader in Greece, sent a letter Monday to the Greek government saying the film would “clash directly with the religious sensitivities of our people” and that its interpretation of the life of Jesus is “horrifyingly vulgar.” Scorsese’s film is based on a novel by Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis, who was threatened with excommunication by the Orthodox Church when the book--still a best seller in Greece--came out in 1954. Meanwhile, “Last Temptation” cooled off its torrid pace at the American box office, despite opening in more cities. The per-screen average take was $26,459--not bad, but nothing like the film’s record-setting opening weekend of almost $45,000 per screen.