FEBRUARY 21.- MEL GIBSON AND HIS PASSION

It seems Mel Gibson's passion is contagious.
In response to viewer demand, Gibson's religious film, The Passion of the Christ will open in 2,800 theaters Wednesday--up from the 2,000 originally scheduled.
In addition, Passion's distributor, Newmarket Films, said they increased the number of prints sent out to theaters from approximately 2,500 to 4,000.
"It's really picked up in the last couple of days," Newmarket chief Bob Barney told Variety. "A lot of what we've been hearing [from theater chains] is that instead of two prints, we want four. They anticipate a much bigger opening, and they want to be able to handle it."
Based on the expansion and some $10 million in advanced ticket sales, box-office trackers expect The Passion of the Christ to make upwards of $40 million over its first five days.

FEBRUARY, 23.- IN THE NAME OF "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST".
EVEN the nails of the cross are on sale (a pendant).
The most disgusting thing we´ve ever seen.
Jesus in not Harry Potter.
MEL MEGAFANS

FEBRUARY, 26.-THE OPENING OF "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST"

(CNN) -- The opening of Mel Gibson's controversial "The Passion of the Christ" brought movie fans and religious leaders to more than 2,500 theaters across the nation on Ash Wednesday.
Questions about the film's alleged anti-Semitic tone and bloody depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus have raised interest in the movie. Sales of its companion book rose from No. 20 to No. 9 on Amazon.com on Wednesday. Movie houses were packed from New York to Georgia to Texas, where some viewers exited with tears in their eyes. By 11, three Wednesday night showings of the film were already sold out at a theater in Kennesaw, Georgia. In Plano, Texas, thousands of moviegoers were treated to free showings of the film courtesy of businessman Arch Bonnema.
Bonnema set up the screenings after purchasing thousands of tickets for $42,000, according to a spokeswoman at his church.
"It was his passion," said Pat Spackey of the Prestonwood Baptist Church. "He was just so moved by the movie that he wanted everyone to be able to see it."
Spackey would only describe Bonnema as a businessman who isn't "all that wealthy. I think he just felt like this would be a good place to make a meaningful contribution."
With tears in her eyes, one woman exiting the Plano theater said, "Even more difficult for me were the scenes between Mary, the mother, and Jesus. Being a mother myself, those just tore my heart out thinking what that must have been like."
In New York, a small group of protesters holding placards accusing the movie of anti-Semitism, stood outside a packed Manhattan cineplex.
William Donahue, president of the Catholic League, said he planned to see the film again in New York with leaders of several other faiths, including Judaism. The Catholic League, according to its Web site, defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination.
"This is the most powerful movie I've ever seen in my life," Donahue said, adding that no film was going to break his ties with religious colleagues.
Donahue joined leaders of other religions in promoting the film and subsidizing tickets. "We first bought 1,200 tickets, subsidizing it at $5 a pop, even though it cost us $8 a pop," Donahue said. "We sold out in two days, so we bought 2,000 more tickets. And we sold out again within two days."
Some Jewish leaders have said the movie is anti-Semitic because it places blame for Jesus' death on the rabbis depicted in the film.
"We've got a film that's really white robes versus black robes," said Rabbi A. James Rudin of the American Jewish Community, which is committed to opposing anti-Semitism worldwide. "And the black robes belong to the traditional scapegoat in history, the Jewish people and the Jewish religion, and that's what makes me angry and very disappointed in this film."
Gibson has told ABC News that his movie is not anti-Semitic and that he is not an anti-Semite. An avowed "Traditionalist Catholic," a splinter movement that believes in celebrating Mass in Latin and rejects changes in the church made by the Second Vatican Council, Gibson has said the film is intended "to inspire, not offend," according to a statement he released in June.
Cardinal Edward Egan, the Archbishop of New York, addressed the subject in a statement released Wednesday. "In the light of so much that is good and holy, I have no doubt that the Catholic and Jewish communities of New York will handle with grace and wisdom any and all upset that might result" from the film.
CNN's Eric Phillips contributed to this report.

Thursday, February 26, 2004 .-What the critics are saying
Opinion divided on Gibson's 'Passion'

(CNN) -- If ever there was a movie for which critical opinion can be said to be evenly divided, it's Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."
A look at rottentomatoes.com, which compiles reviews of every movie in release, shows "Passion" with 38 favorable reviews of 71 counted, or 54 percent (as of 11 a.m. Wednesday).
Moreover, those reviews are often in stark contrast to one another. The Chicago Sun-Times' Roger Ebert, in giving the movie his highest rating of four stars, said "I was moved by the depth of feeling, by the skill of the actors and technicians, by their desire to see this project through no matter what," though he added, "This is the most violent film I have ever seen."
On the other side, Slate's David Edelstein -- in a review headlined "Jesus H. Christ: 'The Passion,' Mel Gibson's bloody mess" -- says "This is a two-hour-and-six-minute snuff movie -- 'The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre' -- that thinks it's an act of faith."
Here is a sampling of other reviews:
"Mr. Gibson has constructed an unnerving and painful spectacle that is also, in the end, a depressing one. It is disheartening to see a film made with evident and abundant religious conviction that is at the same time so utterly lacking in grace."
-- A.O. Scott, The New York Times
"This is a movie so singular, so intense, so overwhelming that it simply has to be experienced." -- Phil Kloer, Atlanta Journal/Constituttion
"By filming New Testament Gospels with Old Testament fire and brimstone, his 'Passion' emerges as something contrary to Jesus's spirit: unforgiving."
-- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"From his arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane to his final breath on the cross at Golgotha, 'The Passion' interprets the story with a fresh reality -- and a raw brutality -- unlike anything ever seen before. It is an intense, relentlessly gripping interpretation of the ancient saga."
-- Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and CChronicle
"It's a stylish and visually polished re-creation of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus -- unrelieved suffering and martyrdom, in other words. Controversy over whether it will inflame anti-Semitism guarantees huge audiences, and many people may be profoundly moved. But as a film it is quite bad."
-- Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle
> "The film is a brutal, blood-soaked plea for compassion and understanding in the face of monstrosity. There is a purity -- an openhearted zeal -- to the picture that is forthright and breathtaking. And it is, first and foremost, exemplary filmmaking."
-- Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
"I have no doubt that Mel Gibson loves Jesus. From the evidence of 'The Passion of the Christ,' however, what he seems to love as much is the cinematic depiction of flayed, severed, swollen, scarred flesh and rivulets of spilled blood, the crack of bashed bones and the groans of someone enduring the ultimate physical agony."
-- David Ansen, Newsweek
"Images take precedence over dialogue here. And those images are graphic, unsettling and undeniably powerful."
-- Chris Vogner, Dallas Morning News

FEBRUARY, 27.-Gibson Feels Judged on his Passion

Director Mel Gibson told Jay Leno Thursday on NBC's The Tonight Show that he feels his film The Passion of the Christ has been unfairly prejudged over the past year, The Associated Press reports. "For a year, it's been nothing but nasty editorials and name-calling," Gibson said, but he added he is adopting a loving attitude, "even for those who persecute you." The director also alleged that a copy of the script was obtained "nefariously" before the film was completed, leading to "all these accusations of anti-Semitism," which he has vehemently denied--and he never considered changing his script because of the protests. "I don't know any director, any artist who would bow to this kind of pressure. It's un-American," Gibson said. The film grossed a whopping $23.6 million on its opening day Wednesday, prompting Leno joked in his opening monologue, that since the film was doing so well, "there's now talk of turning it into a book."

MARCH, 1.-Box Office Analysis: "The Passion" Embraced

HOLLYWOOD,-- It came as no surprise that one of the most talked about, most controversial movies in recent memory toppled the competition at the box office.
What did come as a surprise, however, was how much Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ actually took in--a powerful $83.8 million over the weekend with a five-day total of $125.2 million since its Wednesday opening. (The number includes $3 million from private previews the prior two days.) The Passion now stands as the biggest February opener ever, beating record holder Hannibal, which opened in 2001 with $58 million.
The film, which examines the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life and has been scrutinized by many for its religious subject matter, hit other box office milestones as well. The Passion is now the second best five-day opener ever, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which opened in December with $124.1 million and the second best R-rated opener, behind The Matrix Reloaded, which opened last year with $91.7 million. Finally, The Passion ranks seventh on the list of the best openers of all-time. Spider-Man still holds the record; it opened in 2002 with a whopping $114.8 million.
"It's an event movie," Bruce Davey, Gibson's partner in his film company Icon Productions said in a statement. "It all began with the grass-roots campaign we started, but the controversy has obviously helped in creating awareness."

MARCH, 6.-Film duplicator sued in piracy of 'Passion'

Mel Gibson's Icon Distribution Inc. has sued the Hollywood duplication facility where allegedly illegal copies were made of "The Passion of the Christ," potentially fostering widespread piracy on the Internet and among bootleggers.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against Lightning Media, seeks damages for lost sales because of piracy. The film earned more than $125 million in its first week of release.
"Damages could be in the millions if it turns out this thing is on the streets as a result of what these people did," said attorney George Hedges, who filed the case Thursday on behalf of Icon. "It's extremely serious to imagine a dubbing facility not having lock-down security on a film."
Last month, three former employees of Lightning Media were indicted for making copies of films including "Passion" and Miramax Films' "Kill Bill-Vol. 1" (HR 2/13). While Richard Young of Northridge, Victor Ochoa of Reseda and Frank Pelayo of Burbank were charged with conspiracy to violate federal copyright laws, the night-shift tape operators have not been named as defendants in the civil suit brought by Icon.
Lightning received a copy of the civil complaint late Friday afternoon. "We're in the process of investigating the facts," Lightning attorney Adam Bass said. "Piracy clearly is a brand-new area for the industry as a whole."
Bass noted that as a result of the alleged actions, Lightning has implemented rigorous anti-piracy standards: Areas where client materials are stored are now only accessible to Lightning employees with swipe cards, 24-hour surveillance cameras have been installed in duplication areas to guarantee the safety of clients' materials, potential hires are now be subject to criminal background checks, and employees will have to sign and adhere to Lightning's new anti-piracy policy.
"We figure that facilities all over town are investing lots of money right now into technology to ensure protection of customers' copyrights and property rights," Bass said.
According to the suit, Icon hired Lightning to make copies of "Passion" in September.
Hedges said his clients first became aware that the illicit copies were being circulated when an article on a film-related Web site boasted about how easy it was to obtain illegal copies of Hollywood films. Other copies also have been traced back to Lightning, he said.
"As a result of such actions by Lightning, unauthorized copies of the motion picture 'The Passion of the Christ' have been made publicly available through a number of different and widespread sources," the suit states.

March, 8.-'The Passion' Climbs Past $200 Million.-THIS REPORT HAS BEEN SENT FROM *LoughNeagh@Ireland.com* Group

LOS ANGELES - 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. "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 Gibson hired 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 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" distributor Warner Bros. and "Hidalgo" studio Disney were happy to finish a distant second and third to "The Passion."

March 14 .- 'Passion' Remains Ascendant at Box Office

LOS ANGELES - "The Passion of the Christ" was the top film for a third straight weekend, taking in $31.7 million and pushing its total beyond a quarter of a billion dollars.
Mel Gibson's dramatization of Christ's final hours climbed to $264 million in the United States and Canada after 19 days in theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
With solid receipts expected through Easter on April 11, "The Passion" is on track to gross between $350 million and $400 million, said Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket Films, which handled the release.
That would put it on par with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which took in another $2.05 million over the weekend to push its total to $371.2 million.
Starring Jim Caviezel as Christ, "The Passion" continues to draw well among church groups that helped make it a religious blockbuster, but the film is packing in much broader audiences, said Newmarket's Schwartz.
"It's a large cross-section of America," Schwartz said. "It's not just church groups going at this point. It's way beyond that."

MARCH, 18- Mel Gibson interested in Maccabees project?

Reuters reports that "The Passion of the Christ" director Mel Gibson may now be interested in a movie based on the revolt of the Maccabees, the story behind the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
"The story that's always fired my imagination ... is the Book of Maccabees," the actor and director told ABC Radio talk show host Sean Hannity on Tuesday.
"The Maccabees family stood up, and they made war. They stuck by their guns and they came out winning," he said. "It's like a Western."
The Maccabees led a three-year war, some 200 years before the birth of Jesus, against Antiochus, a king who forced the Jews to worship false gods. The war led to the liberation of Jerusalem and rededication of the Temple that is celebrated in the Hanukkah holiday.