Posted on 02/23/2004 3:17:08 PM PST by truthandlife
If you didn't know better, you'd think it was the Second Coming.
Thousands of the faithful in South Florida are expected to flock this week to Mel Gibson's controversial new religious film The Passion of the Christ, which chronicles the final hours of Jesus' life. It opens nationwide Wednesday -- Ash Wednesday -- in about 2,800 theaters, including 12 in Palm Beach County and five on the Treasure Coast.
Area theaters are reporting advance sales that surpass Star Wars standards, in some instances. Religious congregations are renting theaters for special screenings, and some complexes are increasing weekday security to weekend levels to handle larger crowds.
"We sold out 500 tickets in 20 minutes the first Sunday we offered them," said Stan Coleman, pastor of the nondenominational South Palm Community Church in Boynton Beach and Lantana. "Our congregation is about 1,100 people... but we ended up selling 1,200 tickets, and we had to buy out five complete theaters at the Muvico Parisian complex at CityPlace for Tuesday night." Everyone paid full price, he said.
The Muvico Palace 20 in Boca Raton has three group showings Tuesday evening.
"This is the biggest group sales we've had on a film in memory," said Jim Lee, marketing director for Muvico in Fort Lauderdale.
In Fort Pierce, Nova Cinemas at Sabal Palm shopping center has sold at least 1,800 tickets since they went on sale Jan. 23.
"This has really become a controversial movie," said Assistant Manager Sheldon Lotridge. "We have a lot of churches buying out entire theaters. We haven't seen anything like this in awhile."
"This is an event, not just a movie," said Pastor Ray Dukes of the Community Bible Church in West Palm Beach.
Dukes, whose congregation numbers around 30, said that, like many pastors of larger churches around the country, he had received a DVD from the distributor, Newmarket Films. It contained a trailer for the movie, which Dukes said made him want to see it and recommend it.
"Just the trailer brought tears to my eyes," Dukes said. "As modern-day Americans, we've never really seen anything like a crucifixion. We don't know what it means. We don't know what it's like."
Those attending the film apparently will find out. The movie has been described as a graphic depiction of Christ's suffering and death. Gibson, a Catholic traditionalist who directed and co-wrote the film, has said he based the script on the four Gospels of the New Testament and has admitted he wants to "shock" viewers with the violence Christ endured.
Those words have led some pastors to proceed cautiously before they take all their members.
"A group of us are going to a special screening Monday to see if it is appropriate for our youths," said Pastor W. Frisby Hendricks of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in West Palm Beach. "We're concerned about the violence, although given the amount of violence children see in movies and in video games these days, I'm not sure it's an issue."
Hendricks said if his advance team approves the film, he will recommend it to his congregation, which numbers more than 1,000 baptized members and about 300 regular Sunday attendees. He said he probably would buy out at least one or more screenings at a local theater.
The advance showing that Hendricks will attend Monday at the Okee Square Theatre was organized by the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Members of many churches and synagogues will attend, and the movie will be followed by a three-member panel discussion that will include a Catholic, a Jew and a Protestant and also audience participation.
ADL mailing information
Jewish leaders across the nation are concerned that the film will provoke anti-Semitic feelings because it depicts Jewish high priests in Jerusalem as calling for Christ's blood. Those leaders say the film largely absolves the Roman magistrate, Pontius Pilate, who actually sentenced Jesus to the cross.
The South Florida office of the Anti-Defamation League sent a mailing to 1,700 area churches Tuesday asking Christian leaders to "speak out against anyone who uses the film to fuel the passion of hatred toward Jews and Judaism."
The ADL also informed those churches of Web sites that could be visited for information about the film, Gibson himself and Passion plays in general. Florida Regional Director Mark Medin said it is too early to measure the success of the mailing.
Rabbi Howard Shapiro of Temple Israel of West Palm Beach, who will participate in the panel, said he believes "some Christians and many Jews will see two different films.
"I'll be watching to see how Jews are portrayed, and Christians will be watching Christ," Shapiro said. "I don't know how I'll feel after I see it."
Some Catholics worried
Some Catholics also have voiced concern about Gibson's rendition of the Gospels.
Emilio Chavez, who teaches biblical studies at the Catholic St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, will participate in the Monday panel.
"Catholic bishops have made it clear they disapprove of a literal and fundamentalistic way of seeing the events around Christ's death," Chavez said. "They know how much Passion plays have done to create anti-Semitism over the centuries."
Pastor Dukes said he had heard the concerns but did not feel the film would or should provoke anti-Semitism.
"It's history, the way Pearl Harbor is history," he said. "The Bible says the Jewish leadership at the time called for the death of Christ. That's history. Well, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, but I don't hate the Japanese today. We're friends with them. I feel the same way about Jews."
Not all pastors are joining large groups to see the film.
"My wife and I are going with two Jewish friends," said Pastor Joe Franks of the Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Palm Beach Gardens. "And I'd rather go to a matinee where there aren't a lot of people. I don't want to see it as entertainment, and I don't want to hear somebody saying how they want to see the special effects again."
One pastor contacted said he wasn't going to any theater to see it.
"I haven't stepped into a movie theater in more than 30 years," said Pastor Jerry Wade of Assembly of God Bethel Temple in Lake Worth. "When I studied, we were told it was wrong to go to a movie theater. But given the nature of this film, I want to see it. I guess I'll have to wait until it comes out on DVD."
Because whole churches won't pay to see crap. Hollyweird gets a hint. Like Cavuto said - now they're being marginalized...
Wonder how much NEA money Gibson could have gotten to make the movie?
LOL! I think you just figured out why some in Holloywood didn't want to fund this movie: Even with the DMCA it would be awfully hard to copyright the Jesus action figures.
Go Mel!
I doubt that. I expect a *very* big opening week, but a fast drop-off. It's not the kind of film that will have the same kind of repeat business that Star Wars and other "feel good" movies have, which is how those films build their large total grosses. Plus it seems like anyone/everyone who plans to see the film is planning on doing so in the first week, adding another dynamic that will cause later weeks to be a drop-off compared to the opening week.
Why there is still any controversy over this movie is a mystery to me.
In interview after interview, Mel Gibson has stated that we ALL - every member of the human race - nailed Christ to the Cross. He died for the sins of the WORLD. In my heart, I know this as fact - even if I were the only person on Earth who believed it.
If anyone still has a problem with this logic, there are only two explanations:
1) They believe they are sinless.
2) They believe they are not part of the human race.
Nope. The first tickets you can get in my area are for 2 weeks from Wednesday. That means we slowpokes have to wait until March 10th.
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