Mel Gibson's new movie about Jesus, The Passion of the Christ, is due to be released on February 25th and there has been an unusual amount of press for the film. Today, the NY Times published an article on the supposed success of its predecessor. Sources in the article claim that the film Jesus is the most-watched movie of all time. One quote states that the film has been seen 5,057,743,333 times while another mentions that it only made $4 million at the box office. Believe what you'd like about the specifics, but I don't doubt that many people have seen this movie. The question remains, will The Passion have the same success?
Personally, I think it's going to do pretty well. According to Box Office Mojo, it is opening on over 2,000 screens. As a comparison, 50 First Dates, the Sandler/Barrymore movie, is opening on 3,400 screens this weekend. With such a wide release and all this hype, I'd be surprised if it makes under $20 million in the first weekend. That seems like a success as it cost $25 million to make and I would assume marketting a highly religious film is a difficult task.
I'm still not sure if I want to see it. On the one hand, viewers claim that the film blames the Jews for the death of Christ and I don't know if I want to support a movie like that, but I'd also like to make up my own mind. It will definitely be interesting to watch as this develops.
Any thoughts from you about its potential success and your viewing plans?
02/09/04 6:21 PM
I think the only true critic to trust on this is Betty Bowers:
http://www.bettybowers.com/melgibsonpassion.html
02/10/04 3:25 PM
I love this kinda shit -retelling of history with interesting new perspective. I'll see it, eventually, but with reservations because nothing beats The Last Temptation of Christ.
03/26/04 8:53 PM
To: D'Lish. We'll be praying for you that your darker side will be overcome by the wonderful light of truth.
To: Mel Gibson.There are unsoundable words to express the effect of this expression of sacrificial love. There is so much said that is left unsaid, that one can only experience in the spirit. I would appreciate your interpertation of the baby/person being held in the arms of the representative of satan. I can't quiet grasp it. I would love to see a view of the movie from your perspective. For instance, an accounting almost frame by frame of what you desire to communicate in each scene. A lot of it we can understand, but deep down, and from listening to your wonderful interviews, I sense there is so much more. Could this be done?