The lackluster opening of the controversial movie "The Golden Compass" has some media outlets speculating that a Christian-organised boycott of the film seems to be working.

Splashing news headlines for controversy over its anti-religious themes, the fantasy film debuted at the box office last Friday, taking in an estimated $26.1 million from markets in United States and Canada. That amount falls short of the $30 million to $40 million that had been expected.

Rolf Mittweg of New Line Cinema, which released "Compass", concedes that the religious controversy "might have had an effect", reported USA Today.

But Mittweg said he did not think such controversy would historically last and noted that the controversy did little to deter the film's performance internationally - grossing $55 million in 25 territories.

The Catholic League, however, is claiming victory after being criticised by the media for boycott efforts, which many thought would have a reverse effect and attract more people to see the film.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, pointed out that the $180 million budget movie took in much less than the $65.5 million grossed by "The Chronicles of Narnia" in its opening weekend and also failed to beat the $33.3 million box office debut of Disney's latest cinema offering "Enchanted".

He insisted Monday that "the inescapable conclusion is that our boycott worked".

The New York-based group is boycotting the movie because it fears unsuspecting children may be enticed to read the book series from which the film is based. They accuse British author Phillip Pullman of "selling atheism" to kids in his trilogy, His Dark Materials.

Other reports speculate that reviews on the movie may have also hurt the film's performance.

Many Christian leaders have not backed the movie boycott but instead have asked parents to carefully guide their children in making wise entertainment choices. Some have called upon Christians to use interest in the "Compass" as a way to clarify challenges posed to the Christian faith and church.

Meanwhile, the Catholic community has taken the boycott seriously with some Catholic schools sending out fliers or e-mails urging parents not to let their children see the film, according to USA Today.

University of Tennessee student Tom Holcomb, a Catholic, said he joined more than 11,000 people in a Facebook group boycotting the movie.

Holcomb told WAKE 6 News that he joined after going to see the movie out of curiosity.

"There are definitely some controversies in the actual movie," he said. "I joined it because as a Christian, we have to take a stand on things and God is very important in my life."