How much can "The Passion of the Christ" earn at the box office?

[Dynasty]

Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ had a very big opening week and weekend. It grossed $117 million in the U.S. in its first five days. $76.2 million came on the weekend. I believe I heard that's the second biggest opening (but, it seems to me that would have to be for non-holiday weekends).

Everytime a new blockbuster comes out, there's discussion among its fans about whether it can break Titanic's box office records of $600 million domestic and $1.835 billion worldwide. Usually, I quickly dismiss any possibility of breaking those incredible records.

But, for the first time since Titanic set those records, I think they're in jeopardy of being broken. The Passion of the Christ is obviously a unique film. Unlike the sci-fi/fantasy films which dominate the box office records, Passion has a much broader base of people who are interested in seeing the film. There were lots of stories about people who hadn't been to the theatre to see a film in more than a decade. There were many more stories about church groups seeing the film together.

More importantly, I think this film is going to have incredible legs. Even big films tend to have big opening weekends and then drop off quickly and are out of most theatres two months later. Passion feels like something which is going to be a cultural phenomenon. The interest in the film is only increasing with its success. As it gets more and more positive reviews, I think those who only initially had mild interest in seeing the film are going to be drawn in.

Also, the film is going to have lots and lots of repeat viewings among those who are very religous and are deeply moved by the film. Repeat views from women (and guys taking women out on dates) is what created Titanic's record.

I was sure it was going to take something special to sink Titanic again. This may be it.

[slavic]

I doubt you see it make the year long run that Titanic made. This is the worst date movie ever made.

When you go to see this movie you are in a certain mindset and many of the things that the theater districts live on are not going to be available. Concession sales will not be as high, local food venders won't see the same draw. Mall shopping traffic won't be as high because the dynamics of the people do not fit the normal marketting. So in this aspect I don't think it will last as long.

Now when it goes to video I think it will blow every record ever written. I'm talking more copies sold than AOL distributes CD's. Why? Well the film is causing quite a revival among the Christian community and churches will pay the price to distribute this movie among the masses.

[elwoodblues]

I think the question is whether people will go see it multiple times. My suspicion is that not many will. Titanic, for some unknown reason, had tons of people seeing it multiple times (a friend of mine saw it 7 times in the theatre.)

[gonores]

My prediction is it dies right after Easter. It'll have a great run up till then though.

[andyfox]

I think you may be right. This movie may be considered the most important motion picture since The Birth of a Nation, as well as breaking all box office records.

Assuming Mel Gibson's religious beliefs/passions are sincere, how moral is it for him to have made those awful, racist Lethal Weapon movies, and to make what will probably be hundreds of millions of dollars on The Passion of the Christ?

[Six_of_One]

Interesting...I've never heard Lethal Weapon called racist before. I'm curious, what do you feel makes it so?

[B-Man]

Granted, it's been a long time since I've seen them, but why do you say the Lethal Weapon movies are racist? I haven't heard that claim before.

I have plenty of issues with Mel Gibson as a person (though I do think he's a great actor and director), but that had not been one of them. Please enlighten me.

[Robk]

This movie has some intense support.



As Christians we are called upon by our Lord not only to promote His Kingdom and righteousness (Matt. 6:33) -- the work of cultural renewal and reconstruction -- but also to "strengthen the things that remain" (Rev. 3:2). Here's one way in which we can actually participate in the cultural mandate. Unfortunately, the success of any movie in the eyes of Hollywood studios is determined by the box office numbers of the first two weeks. Many good movies don't make much money and disappear into video oblivion because they don't have the marketing support that big blockbusters do. This makes those good movies harder to produce because the studios don't see the profit in it. Christians are always complaining about how Hollywood doesn't make movies that share their values. Well, the best way to change that is to go to the few movies that do. and buy the videos. You vote with your dollars. Mel Gibson is not releasing his movie through a big studio, so he doesn't have the mega-marketing support behind him. If a ton of people don't see this movie in the first couple weeks of release it may die in the box office.


Here's how we can change all that. Here's how we can be a reforming force of cultural influence. If Christians go see The Passion of the Christ in droves on the first two weeks of its release, then Mr. Gibson will have the box office proof that will enable him to release it to even more theaters (this happened with "sleeper films" like The Blair Witch Project and Memento), and believe it or not, studios will sit up and notice. The Passion of the Christ opens everywhere on February 25, 2004. If you want to make a difference, if you want Hollywood to make more movies with a Christian worldview, then go see The Passion of the Christ within its opening two weeks. Schedule it on your calendar now, so you don't forget. But don't just go by yourself, get a group of friends. And don't just go once, go twice. It's the multiple viewings that skyrocket a film's numbers (i.e., The Lord of the Rings). And last of all, buy the video or DVD when it comes out.


Let's not just critique culture, let's actually transform it by being involved in it. I call that redemptive interaction with culture. I call that The Passion of the Church.

[jokerswild]

Nutcake Christians will spend and spend and spend. It may well mark a revival of apocalyptic believers. I bet that the Christian right will ask Bush to blow up the world so that Jesus can return. I've never heard of any sicker idea in religious thought than those that believe that nuclear holocaust has to transpire before their savior returns.

[slavic]

those that believe that nuclear holocaust has to transpire before their savior returns

umm who believes this?