Passion grosses $117 Million in 5 days

[ringmastery]

Mel Gibson is going to be a very, very, very rich man when this is all said and done.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/?sortdate=2004-02-28&p=.htm

[Seldona]

1. Great.

Now we can expect the geniuses in Holywood to beat this formula to death for the next decade.

Just what we need.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. So is he going to donate his money to a good cause?

Just asking.

[ringmastery]

3. I think he said

he was going to donate a portion to the Catholic Church.

I'm not sure if that is considered a "good" cause.

[SoCalDem]

4. Hey.. they had to pay a lot of abuse lawsuits.. they need the money

Maybe they can use it to start screening out the pedophiles when they "hire" new priests..

I have a feeling that ole Mel will be living the good life from here on out..

[nini]

20. My nephew went through major psych evals when entering the seminary

So, they are finally taking this crap seriously and screening applicants. (I'm not sure what they did or did not do before)

He wouldn't even tell us half of what he was asked because it embarassed him to talk about it with his auntie and mom.

[forgethell]

11. Why should he?

It's his money. I'm sure he will give a portion of it to whatever causes he likes, but you sound like he should donate it all. And, again I ask, why should he??

[The Backlash Cometh]

18. Because people who are as sanctimonious as Mel Gibson always

give it to some "good cause." It's a guilt thing. I think you have to be Catholic, at least in your childhood, in order to understand.

[forgethell]

19. I think you have to be Catholic in order to understand?

I would guess so. But my question isn't about what Mel does, or does not do, my question is why does it concern any of us?

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. Because he's a public figure and it's our right to question his

motives.

[forgethell]

24. OK, but

I question the motives of those who do. Why are we concerned about his motives? He may be a 'public' figure, but he is NOT a government official: he is a private citizen. It's his money and none of our business. Where am I wrong??

[The Backlash Cometh]

28. I don't consider celebrities ordinary people.

I also see that the downfall of our society has occurred because powerful private citizens have been able to blur the line between private and public interest. Because of this, government is now in the business of promoting business at the cost of the public; and some day soon, I see that the line between religion and government also blurring. If we don't question movies like Mel's movie, we may find ourselves one day fighting holy wars.

People need to stand up and disagree and question, or the silence will be over-run by other people's interests.

[forgethell]

29. Fair enough, I suppose,

butisn't this sort of like what was done to Bill Clinton?

[The Backlash Cometh]

30. Hahaha! Not even close.

We're not spending 70 million dollars on a fishing expedition. We're just asking questions and the curiousity should be allowed to run its natural course, which should take all of two weeks. Not two years. What's more important, our questions are directly related to the issue at hand.

[ClintonTyree]

5. Who was it that said.................

"there's a sucker born every minute"? I can't remember, but it sure fits this situation.

[smirkymonkey]

17. P.T. Barnum

...and he's never been proven wrong! :)

[MsUnderstood]

6. Not a hard record to make. . .

When churches are buying out the tickets.

To see real numbers. lets find out how many tickets were purchased in lots of 10 or more. More than 10 means someone bought tickets in advance to give away to an organization.

2 people from work had tickets for PASSION--one got them free from her church and the other paid for the ticket THROUGH THE CHURCH.

[gorrister]

8. you beat me to it

and when you have individuals going out and buying $42,000 worth of tix, that makes the gross meaningless as far as I'm concerned.

in other words: cheater! cheater!

[Blue-Jay]

7. I'll just wait for the sequel.

(courtesy of Farker "jarrett")



More: http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=847832

[scarface2004]

9. jesus is a cash cow!!!!

i need to get in on this!!

[stopbush]

10. Mel Gibson's "The Grossest Story Ever Told" n/t

[joeybee12]

12. Proof positive that man is NOT the end product of evolution...

...let's hope whoever or whatever comes after us is a lot smarter, a lot less bigoted, and has much more taste!

[Robb]

13. Passion grosses 117 Million in 5 days

...and I was one of them! :D

(rimshot)

[Deja Q]

14. Well, if the rest of us could star in bible-based bollocks...

We'd all be rich too. :eyes:

How about somebody doing a movie on the final 12 hours of Mohammad?

[Plaid Adder]

15. Yeah, we'll see how well it grosses NEXT week.

I think probably a lot of people are going to see it out of curiosity (I have considered that myself). But from the reviews, it doesn't appear that they're going to get a lot of repeat business (except from either hardcore religious nuts or people who just like watching a guy get ripped apart with meathooks).

Shudder,

The Plaid Adder

[ComerPerro]

16. Yeah, I just saw it this morning

I went at 1130, as to avoid all of the fundies (you know, I figured they would be in church). And it worked. Good crowd, average size. And when we left, there were tons of people waiting to get into the screening.

Anyway, I think you are absolutely correct in saying that this film won't be getting many repeat viewings. I sure as hell don't want to see it again!

Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a good movie and was very well done, but I just don't want to watch it again any time in the near future...

[fujiyama]

22. I saw it earlier as well...

I can't really add a whole lot to those that have already reviewed it. I'm not Christian and neither is my family, but my mom was able to drag my dad and I to the film. She's interested in religious and historical flicks (though of course the historical validity of this film is definetely in question).

First off, I'll say that this is a well done film. The cinematogrphy was especially impressive. I thought the actors playing Mary and Pontius Pilate were especialy good (though the film is disturbingly sympathetic to him).

It is extremely violent as many others have said. I myself was cringing and I'm mostly desensitized to violence on screen. As a few others said, it seemed like an S and M flick, a giant orgy of blood and gore. Jesus is whipped, then whipped again, then he's whipped again - but with a bigger and sharper instrument. This is one giant torture film. There also isn't much of an explanation for the violence. As Rob Cordury explained on the Daily Show after watching it, "I just saw it with my nephews...They asked me, why is he getting beaten...I replied, because he's...Ummm a really nice guy?!". That's basically it.

Is it moving. Yes, you could say so, but it feels a bit disjointed, because after a while I became somewhat numb with all the violence. You do feel sympathy because Jesus is a very sympathetic character. He espouses the best values mankind has to offer -- charity, love, kindness, and hope. It's no surprise that millions around the world have found inspiration in him and his teachings. Ultimately, I found the relationship between Mary and her son the most moving aspect. I wish more was focused on the bond they have.

Finally, the question everyone is asking. Is it anti-Semitic?

In various aspects, yes it is. The film portrays the Romans as being under the control of the Jews. The Jews are portrayed as evil -- and comically stereotypical, including the hooked nose, and sharp teeth. The portrayal, at times, feels straight out of a German propaganda poster. Fortunately, the Roman soldiers are depicted as being very brutal, but still, the high Roman command is absolved of any guilt, and the decisions to kill Jesus come from Jewish preists (and . The high preist, Caiphus (I think) is portrayed as especially cruel, continously calling for crucifiction.

So, that's my take. I'm not a biblican, historical, or theological expert, but I have heard that Pilate was a much more cruel man than depicted in this film. My ultimate impression is that you will most like come away with whatever you felt about this movie beforehand. It really didn't shock me or surpise me in any way.

I'd give it **1/2/****

[Mick Knox]

23. You raise valid points.. my response

I thought I would wring in on some things you said..

Pontius Pilate were especialy good (though the film is disturbingly sympathetic to him).

The historical record on Pilate is clear. This was not a nice man... even in the movie.. how many nice guys would allow someone who they believe is innocent to be scourged and crucified? You must remember Romans were simply doing their job. Thats all.. the story was accurate according to the bible in the way Pilate is presented in this instance. I think where many go wrong in confusing the historical record of Pilate as cruel over a period of time he governed.. which is true.. and the way he is presented in the bible in this SOLE instance.

There also isn't much of an explanation for the violence. As Rob Cordury explained on the Daily Show after watching it, "I just saw it with my nephews...They asked me, why is he getting beaten...I replied, because he's...Ummm a really nice guy?!". That's basically it.

While it is true there is no indepth explaination within the movie.. an understanding of the time period provides clarity. Claiming you were a King, more importantly claiming you were the Messiah was considered blasphemy worthy of the death penalty by the religious people of the time. Equally so was claiming you could destroy the holy temple. If you look at it through 2004 eyes.. there is no reason.. but in context of history.. anyone doing so could be put to death. More importantly.. Jesus was causing trouble for the leaders at the time. He was gaining a following and in popularity.. but was doing things like preaching his own commandments.. as opposed to the ones brought by Moses. Things like this led to the Religious leaders calling for the death penalty.. he was a threat to their power.

The film portrays the Romans as being under the control of the Jews.

Pilate has been warned by ceasar that if there is a revolt again, Pilate will be the one to die. Pilate is trying to appease them. BTW, it did not work, as history shows... they are an oppressed people at the time and continue to revolt.. as in normal in humans.

I agree with your asessment of Jewish stereotyping.. as a view that one could come away with. It's to bad too. I think Gibson did himself a disservice by doing so.

Fortunately, the Roman soldiers are depicted as being very brutal, but still, the high Roman command is absolved of any guilt, and the decisions to kill Jesus come from Jewish preists (and . The high preist, Caiphus (I think) is portrayed as especially cruel, continously calling for crucifiction.

This is biblically 100% accurate... not the absolved of any guilt part.. but the cries for the death penalty was from the Jewish High Priests with supporting mob.

My ultimate impression is that you will most like come away with whatever you felt about this movie beforehand

I agree 100%... it will change no view.

[Mike Daniels]

26. Most people don't generally listen to the major print/TV critics..

How bad did the two recent Star Wars movies get panned and they pulled in money hand over fist well past opening weekend.

For those who do listen to critics, I guarantee that if you ask someone to name one movie critic 9 out of 10 are going to say Roger Ebert. Given that he and Roeper (?) both gave the movie a thumbs up, I'm willing to bet the movie will continue to pull in the money for a while.

[GreenPartyVoter]

25. Here's hoping it goes to charity

Lots n lots of charities.

http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/liberalchristians.htm

[IconoclastIlene]

27. Oh Great!!! A good Xmas Gift on DVD next year.

A good gift for everyone on your list who is holier than thou.