Passion Soars beyond 200 million

[Debunks2005]

'The Passion' Soars Beyond $200 Million
'The Passion of the Christ' Soars Beyond $200 Million in Second Weekend to
Remain Top Film

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES March 7 — Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" took in $51.4
million in its second weekend to remain the top movie, racing past the $200
million mark in just 12 days.
Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson's action comedy "Starsky & Hutch" debuted in second
place with $29.05 million, while Viggo Mortensen's horse-racing adventure
"Hidalgo" opened at No. 3 with $19.6 million, according to studio estimates
Sunday.

"The Passion," Gibson's bloody re-enactment of Christ's crucifixion, has
grossed $212 million so far in the United States and Canada. The movie is
expected to top $300 million, said Bob Berney, president of Newmarket Films.
The independent distributor was hired by Gibson to release "The Passion" after
Hollywood studios passed on it.

The film, which stars Jim Caviezel as Christ, held up strongly, with receipts
down just 39 percent from its huge opening weekend of $83.8 million. Movies
debuting to such high numbers often drop 50 percent or more in their second
weekends.

"The Passion" propelled Hollywood to a second straight weekend of rising
revenues after a prolonged slump. The top 12 movies grossed $131.5 million, up
39 percent from the same weekend last year.

Before "The Passion" opened, box-office revenues had been running 7 percent
behind last year's. Two big weekends for "The Passion" have pulled the industry
virtually even with last year's receipts, according to box-office tracker
Exhibitor Relations.

The Academy Awards gave a solid bounce to best-picture winner "The Lord of the
Rings: The Return of the King," which climbed back into the top 10 with $3.2
million, raising its total to $368.3 million.

"The Passion" rode a storm of debate over its grisly violence and accusations
of anti-Semitism to become the first religious blockbuster since the 1950s
epics "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur."

Its success indicates Christian crowds rarely targeted by filmmakers will flock
to theaters when a movie suits them.

"I think it does show there's an ignored market, but the way I look at it, it's
film by film. To make this work, you have to have a brilliant film. The
audience is very discerning," Berney said.

In the next week, "The Passion" will climb past the $228 million total take for
"Signs," the top-grossing movie Gibson has been connected with. Even adjusting
Gibson's "Lethal Weapon" grosses for inflation, "The Passion" will be his
biggest hit.

"Here's one of the most popular movie stars in the world. Who would have
thought he would out-gross all his big summer blockbusters with a movie about
the crucifixion?" said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations.

After studios declined to handle "The Passion," Gibson orchestrated a marketing
scheme that rallied Christian leaders and church groups, which spread the word
and snapped up blocks of tickets.

Fueling the frenzy was criticism from some Jewish and Christian leaders, who
said "The Passion" could revive the notion that Jews collectively were
responsible for Christ's death.

"Starsky & Hutch," an update of the 1970s TV show, stars Stiller and Wilson as
buddy cops hunting a cocaine dealer. "Hidalgo" stars Mortensen as an Old West
cowboy who becomes the first Westerner invited to compete in a horse race
across the Arabian desert.

"Starsky & Hutch" distributor Warner Bros. and "Hidalgo" studio Disney were
happy to finish a distant second and third to "The Passion."

"I've never seen anything quite like `The Passion,'" said Disney head of
distribution Chuck Viane. "To have two other movies come in and open as
strongly as they did in the face of a steamroller, you can't complain."

Here are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American
theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be
released Monday.

1. "The Passion of the Christ," $51.4 million.

2. "Starsky & Hutch," $29.05 million.

3. "Hidalgo," $19.6 million.

4. "50 First Dates," $7.7 million.

5. "Twisted," $5 million.

6. "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," $4 million.

7. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," $3.2 million.

8. "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," $2.85 million.

9. "Miracle," $2.6 million.

10. "Monster," $2.25 million.

[steve wolk]

"Debunks2005" <debun...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040308123448...@mb-m21.aol.com...

> 'The Passion' Soars Beyond $200 Million
> 'The Passion of the Christ' Soars Beyond $200 Million in Second Weekend to
> Remain Top Film
>
> The Associated Press
>
>
>

> LOS ANGELES March 7 - Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" took in

$51.4
> million in its second weekend to remain the top movie, racing past the
$200
> million mark in just 12 days.
> Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson's action comedy "Starsky & Hutch" debuted in
second
> place with $29.05 million, while Viggo Mortensen's horse-racing adventure
> "Hidalgo" opened at No. 3 with $19.6 million, according to studio
estimates
> Sunday.
>

Which makes it all the more ironic that you can't even find a publisher for
your non-book.

--
No chapter 2
No manuscript
No up-front payment
No publisher
No book
Just a lot of bull from Joebbels.