02-25-2004, 11:29 PM
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#54 (permalink)
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Psycho
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FIRST DAY TICKET SALES AT ESTIMATED $15-20 MILLION!
Quote:
Mel Gibson's controversial The Passion of The Christ took in an estimated $15 million to 20 million from 3,006 theaters after just one day of release, reports The Associated Press.
The film, which chronicles the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life, rang up $7 million in matinee ticket sales alone in the United States and Canada on Wednesday, said Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket Films, which Gibson hired to release the movie after studios balked.
With an estimated $3 million from private screenings for church groups Monday and Tuesday in advance of Wednesday's official opening, grosses for the film were expected to climb as high as $20 million once evening screenings are counted, Schwartz said.
Final numbers were to be released Thursday. Sony Pictures' 2002 release of Spider-Man holds the single-day record of $43.6 million, but "Passion" has already passed the receipts that other modern religious films took in during their entire runs, among them The Last Temptation of Christ ($8.4 million) and The Omega Code ($12.5 million).
"I think the prospects are certainly good for at least hitting $100 million overall. Then again, we have to see how the rest of the weekend plays out," Schwartz added. "Hopefully, if we continue the torrid pace we're starting to set now, that's an achievable number."
Gibson put up the film's $25 million budget out of his own pocket. After theater owners take their cut, about half of the box office take will come back to Gibson, who then pays Newmarket a percentage fee for distribution.
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