Critics can’t break the ‘Code’

The afterlife: Expectations were sky high for the $125-million movie adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code” when it was released in May, for myriad reasons.

The religious thriller is the publishing phenomenon of the decade with some 60.5 million copies in print in 44 languages. Plus the film reunited Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard, who had collaborated on two critical and commercial successes: 1984’s “Splash” and 1995’s “Apollo 13.” But something went horribly wrong in the translation.

Critics trounced the film: On the Rotten Tomatoes website, 157 critics gave it thumbs down; 50 were positive. The press even had a field day with Hanks’ long, straight and seemingly unmovable hair. Then the film met with harsh criticism from Christian organizations in several countries because of its mixture of fact and fiction. Even the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation expressed unhappiness that the film’s villain, a monk-assassin played by Paul Bettany, was an albino (as in the book).

Sony Pictures, of course, laughed all the way to the bank. “Da Vinci Code” was critic-proof, making $217.5 million domestically and $538.7 internationally. Demand for the DVD is high -- it is currently ranked fourth in pre-sales on Amazon.com.

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A star is born, and it’s a ‘Girl’

Time capsule: Featured on the second-season DVD set of Marlo Thomas’ classic 1966-71 ABC sitcom “That Girl” is a never-aired curio, “Two’s Company.” The unsold ABC pilot, shot in 1965, features Thomas as a stars-in-her-eyes newlywed who stopped working as a model because her staid attorney husband believes a wife’s place is in the home. When her husband quits his job, she decides to secretly return to work. Trouble and misunderstandings ensue when the only job she can get is modeling maternity clothes. The pilot is dreadful, but Thomas still manages to be adorable.

And there’s a happy ending: She so impressed the ABC brass with the show, they developed “That Girl” for her. The rest, as they say, is television history.

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‘King Kong’ in holiday dress

Redux: Peter Jackson is perhaps the savviest DVD director around. With his “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Jackson first released the DVD of the theatrical version of the film, with documentaries and a few extras. Then several months later, in time for the holidays, he presented an extended version of each “Ring” -- which, given their three-hour-plus running times in theaters, hardly seemed possible -- with commentaries, documentaries and added features.

He’s running true to course now with “King Kong.” The first DVD release this year included numerous excerpts of the production diary that appeared on the film’s website but little else. On Tuesday, Universal is bringing out the “Deluxe Extended Edition,” a three-disc set that includes the theatrical release, a 13-minute-longer extended version, commentary, 40 minutes of deleted scenes, outtakes and Jackson’s commentary. The once rotund Jackson might have gotten smaller himself, but his appetite for DVD sales is still huge.

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Television series by the armful

Set pieces: Coach potatoes have to be in good shape and financially flush for this week’s TV series DVD sets. Warner Home Video’s “Friends: The Complete Series,” which is priced at $299.98, includes all 236 episodes of the NBC sitcom, plus 25 commentaries, documentaries and featurettes, and a 60-page book. A&E;’s “Homicide: Life on the Street” mega set, which boasts a $299.95 price tag, includes all 122 episodes of the award-winning NBC detective series on 35 discs, three “Law & Order” crossover episodes, “Homicide: The Movie,” episodes from the A&E; series “American Justice” and a feature-length documentary. Slightly less expensive at $279.98 is HBO’s “Six Feet Under: The Complete Series.” The 25-disc set of the cable network’s long-running drama series about a family of morticians features all 63 episodes, commentary on 25 installments, featurettes and deleted scenes.

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susan.king@latimes.com