'Passion' brings in $125M in five days

Posted Monday, March 1, 2004 at 9:06 AM Central

by Tim Briscoe

The controversial The Passion Of The Christ had a landmark opening in theaters this weekend. The Mel Gibson-directed film brought in $125.2 million in the five days since opening on Ash Wednesday.

The most remarkable point in the film's success is that it was filmed entirely in two dead languages (Aramaic and Latin) and features English subtitles. The movie also doesn't have any marquee stars, unless you consider director Mel Gibson who doesn't appear in the film. Actors James Caviezel and Monica Bellucci are the biggest names in the cast.

Some more stats: Passion's three-day weekend take of $83.8 million is the seventh-best opening in history. It's the second-best R-rated opening ever after The Matrix Reloaded's $91.8 debut. The film took in more money than the other films in the weekend's top twelve combined. It's also the first film released in 2004 to top $100 million.

The major Hollywood studios all passed on Mel Gibson's controversial film about the brutal final hours in the life of Jesus Christ. Not deterred, Gibson financed most of the $25-30 million film himself and released it through independent distributor New Market Films. The film has received considerable support from the Christian community despite claims it has an anti-Semitic tone.