EdwardKnoxII 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2004 http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,13581,00.html "Passion" Opens Big, Pass the Tums by Joal Ryan Feb 26, 2004, 12:30 PM PT One reported heart attack, several upset stomachs and more than $23 million at the box office. That's the tally from The Passion of the Christ's first day in theaters. The Mel Gibson-made religious epic performed the miracle that Hollywood is most enamored with: It opened big. Distributor Newmarket Films estimates the movie took in $23.6 million on Wednesday, with another $3 million picked up from special screenings for church groups on Monday and Tuesday. "The fervor seems to be so intense that people rushed out to see it as soon as possible," said Brandon Gray of the box-office Website, BoxOfficeMojo.com. Final numbers are due out Thursday afternoon. As it stands, The Passion is "the biggest Wednesday, non-holiday, non-summer" movie ever, as Gray meticulously broke it down. (While The Passion opened on Ash Wednesday, the religious observance doesn't really count as a holiday.) The all-time box-office record for a Wednesday opening belongs to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which rung up $34.1 million last December smack in the middle of the holiday season. The Passion's cumulative $26.6 million (and counting) take already puts Gibson back in black. The Oscar-winner put up $25 million of his own Lethal Weapon largesse to produce the film, which has been loved, loathed and called the "most violent film I have ever seen" by critic Roger Ebert. Gray estimated The Passion could put away another $40 million over the Friday-Sunday weekend, ending its first five days of release with more than $70 million. "From the small towns to Manhattan, it's a broad response," Newmarket executive Bob Berney said in Daily Variety. Where The Passion and its bone-crunching, flesh-flaying, stick-beating depiction of the final hours of Jesus' life are concerned, there also has been an upsetting response. In Wichita, Kansas, a female filmgoer collapsed during the Crucifixion sequence of an apparent heart attack, KAKE-TV reported. The woman, Peggy Law, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. "Whether Law's death and the timing in the film are related, we will never know," KAKE's Website noted ominously. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Whitney Brenton told the Ann Arbor News she'd be skipping lunch after catching a Passion screening Wednesday. "I couldn't watch them put the nails in," Brenton said in the paper. "It was a little too much." In Hagerstown, Maryland, Darla Shingler told the Herald-Mail "it made [her] sick to [her] stomach when they beat [Jesus] with the whip." Michigan resident Greg Sprague told the Jackson Citizen Patriot he "just passed out" when the crown of thorns was forced onto Jesus' head. Cautionary tales or no, Gray doesn't think they'll keep other audience members away. Just the opposite. "It only helps it," Gray said. "It's tragic and sad, but it could help drive ticket sales that much further." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest EQ Report post Posted February 27, 2004 Well, I'm sure that the controversey surrounding it helped the sales. I bet it kills over the weekend. Personally, I have no interest in the movie, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LivingLegendGaryColeman 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2004 Interesting article. I am not sure if this was mentioned in the other threads because I am too lazy to go through the posts, but it kind of bothers me the people are so appauled for the violence and finding it unneccessary. The point to it is to show, for those who are Christian, that this is what he went through, this is what he suffered to save you and I, to save mankind. Apparently, although "brutal", it had been toned down too. It seems that people miss the point that this really happened and what they are calling brutal is what He did for them, should that be their choice of religion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lil' Bitch 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2004 What was the last successful Jesus-based / related movie on the Box Office? The Greatest Story Ever Told? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest KJ Brackish Report post Posted February 27, 2004 Me n' T®ITEC are going to go check it out with some of our friends. My mother, sister, and brother-in-law have all gone and saw it, and cried. They told me, and I quote, "I have never been to a movie theater and have had it so quiet. People had popcorn, but they wern't eating it, but instead, so fixated to the show." I'm not sure about this.....when I get to popcorn........I don't hold back, for ANYTHING! I'm still gonna scarf! DFA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dubq 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2004 Ok, how many different threads do we need for this overhyped piece of shit? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest thebigjig Report post Posted February 27, 2004 Living in the bible belt, i can tell you that this movie is on the lips of everyone everywhere... and I'm getting uncomfortable. The last four days at work, whenever I walk into the training room (training on a new program) the first thing I hear is the passion... infact, if you so much as attempt to criticize it, you get really dirty looks as if you're insulting Jesus himself If it isnt nominated for an Academy award next year, expect outrage and the boycotting of the event by the religious right... and if it is nominated, and surely it will be, and doesnt win for best picture, expect an uproar I've never seen this kind of passion (pardon the pun) for a single movie in my lifetime Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabbageboy 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2004 It won't remotely be nominated, it's not even really getting much in the way of critical acclaim. Having a 50/50 split over the film is hardly the way to get Oscars, though I don't think that's what Gibson had in mind. The bizarre thing to me is that people say "This is the best Jesus film ever" when it doesn't really (from what I hear) cover anything but the torture and death. Movies like King of Kings cover most of Jesus's life. Greatest Story Ever Told did pretty well at the box office in 1965 but lost all sorts of money since it made about 6 million and cost 20 million. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EricMM 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2004 This is a *Passions* movie, based off the old *Passions* plays, which were totally and only recreations of the Crucifixion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest thebigjig Report post Posted February 27, 2004 It won't remotely be nominated, it's not even really getting much in the way of critical acclaim. Having a 50/50 split over the film is hardly the way to get Oscars, though I don't think that's what Gibson had in mind. The bizarre thing to me is that people say "This is the best Jesus film ever" when it doesn't really (from what I hear) cover anything but the torture and death. Movies like King of Kings cover most of Jesus's life. Greatest Story Ever Told did pretty well at the box office in 1965 but lost all sorts of money since it made about 6 million and cost 20 million. From what I hear, the Last Temptation of Christ, directed by Scorsese, is far superior to the Passion in every way Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dubq 0 Report post Posted February 27, 2004 This is a *Passions* movie, based off the old *Passions* plays, which were totally and only recreations of the Crucifixion. Really? I thought it had something to do with that soap opera with the midget. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest KJ Brackish Report post Posted February 27, 2004 It is officially nominated for Oscars', but I'm not sure about those other P.O.S. (not Point Of Sale) awards. DFA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
