People Flock to See "The Passion of the Christ") (Photos)

Yahoo! News | n/a | various

[Pyro7480]

A woman displays her tickets as she prepares to enter a private screening of the film The Passion of the Christ. (AP /Tom Strattman)

Joseph Camerier from Clearwater, Fla., displays his poster for Mel Gibson 's 'The Passion of the Christ' as he prepares to enter a midnight screening of the film at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2004, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Audiences try to buy a ticket by ticket machine as they prepare to enter a midnight screening of Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2004, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Showplace Cinemas employee Jacob Huber, right, sells tickets shortly after 5:00 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 for the first showing open to the public of Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' in Evansville, Ind. Over 80 people came to the Evansville cinema for the special 6:00 a.m., showing. (AP Photo/Daniel R. Patmore)

Kim Galbreath, left, wipes her eye as her husband, Kory Galbreath, collects his thought and speaks about watching 'The Passion of the Christ' in Plano, Texas, early Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A line forms outside a theater in North Brunswick, N.J.. as people wait to get into the first showing of the movie 'The Passion of The Christ', Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004. The controversial movie, produced and directed by Mel Gibson, opened across the United States, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer)

Diana Cardozo, from Argentina, reacts to a loud press conference in protest of 'The Passion of the Christ' while waiting to see the movie at the City Reading Cinemas, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 in New York. The controversial Mel Gibson movie, 'The Passion of the Christ,' opens today at 28-hundred theaters around the country. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

A sign hangs on the box office window announcing a sold out showing of 'The Passion of the Christ' as Olga P. sell tickets to the 7:30 showing of movie at the City Reading Cinemas, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 in New York. The controversial Mel Gibson movie, 'The Passion of the Christ,' opens today at 28-hundred theaters around the country. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Tammy Kruger, center, of Manhattan stands in line outside the United Artist theater for over an hour waiting to buy tickets for the noon showing of 'The Passion of the Christ', Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 in New York. The controversial Mel Gibson movie, 'The Passion of the Christ,' opens Wednesday at 2,800 theaters around the country. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Movie-goer Jeff Hong, 26, of Los Angeles, shows the tickets he bought for himself and his friends to see Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of The Christ' at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, California(AFP/Robyn Beck)

Priests from the Saint Markellas Greek Orthodox Church in Brooklyn, New York arrive by bus at the Loews Theater in midtown to attend the first showing of 'The Passion of the Christ'(AFP/Timothy Clary)

Movegoers line up February 25, 2004 to view the Mel Gibson film 'The Passion of the Christ' at a Dallas, Texas theater. The film, which depicts the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life, opened nation-wide on Wednesday. REUTERS/Jeff Mitchell

Movie-goers wait in line to get in for the first public screening of Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of The Christ' at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, California where the midnight showing of the film was sold out(AFP/Robyn Beck)

[Pyro7480]

This looks like a blockbuster folks!

[Bigg Red]

Have you seen it yet?

[Burkeman1]

Pre- ordered my tickets for tomorrow night.

[null and void]

But but but but, isn't it really violent???

[mlbford2]

yeah, with hardly any advertising costs. Mel has Hollywood big wigs green with envy that they didn't think of this first.

[Wolfstar]

Yep, sure does. From clips I've seen, it also looks like it is a technically brilliant film as well. However, don't look for it to garner any industry awards next year. The Hollywood Left feels very threatened by this film.

[1Old Pro]

Hollywood hates this. Imagine if it breaks all records.

[areafiftyone]

I will probably see it when the crowds die down. I have been boycotting Hollywierd movies since 9/11 but this movie is too important to miss. I will be making an effort to see it.

[Integrityrocks]

6 hours till I see it. I still don't get this question: "Would you take your children to see it?" My question is: "Would you take your children to a live brutal execution of anyone?" If you would (I think your sick) then take them, if not, then wait till it comes out on vhs, buy it and show it to them when they are OLDER! Duh.

[rovenstinez]

three hour wait here in Tulsa, Oklahoma

[buffyt]

Our theater sold tickets BEFORE today. So there are NO tickets available for 7 or 7:30 pm for several days. So my son and I are going to the 9:45 showing, I got our tickets today. I didn't know you could buy tickets BEFORE the first day of a showing! That is something new in this tiny little town, along with the new big Starplex Cinema. While I was there this afternoon, getting our tickets, there were a lot of people buying tickets for the 2pm matinee. And there was a man buying 70 tickets for his church. My husband and other son haven't decided yet if they will see the movie. They will probably decide by how I take it. And I didn't see JAWS, EXORCIST, PRIVATE RYAN, etc., and I left in the middle of GLADIATOR. But I loved PATRIOT GAMES, and BRAVEHEART. I hated CLOCKWORK ORANGE and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. I know there is no comparison, but those were all movies with lots of blood, and I have heard that this one is violent with lots of blood. But I think that PASSION, like PATRIOT GAMES and BRAVEHEART, is an important true story, and should be seen. Not just gratuitious violence that usually comes out of Hollywood. THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD~

[journey7873]

It amazes me that all of a sudden hollywood has become so pious about violence in movies.

[EggsAckley]

I've got tears in my eyes just seeing all of these people enthusiastically attending this film! I can't see it till maybe this weekend; bad cold, don't want to sit in a theater coughing and hacking and maybe picking up something WORSE. Ugh. *coff coff*

[miltonim]

May be Mel Gibson's next non-PC movie will be "September 11".

[buffyt]

I HOPE you are RIGHT, Jack!!!!!

[Burkeman1]

Order the tickets online. I saw the huge line at my local theater this morning in Boston and turned right around, went home, and got them online for tomorrow night.

[mlbford2]

I havn't been to the theatre Since 'Waynes World'. I will see this movie as soon as the lines die down.

[Chris Talk]

This is even showing here where we have just one movie house and less than 20k people in town, but sure enough, it shows today at 4 pm

[Dr.Deth]

Priests from the Saint Markellas Greek Orthodox Church in Brooklyn, New York arrive by bus at the Loews Theater in midtown to attend the first showing of 'The Passion of the Christ'

Wow. Maybe this really is more of a phenomenon than I gave credit for.

Hey, that smudge on people's foreheads in the picture... what's up with that? Seems like it's related to the movie. I went to the IHOP and saw a bunch of obviously non-Indian folks with that forehead spot. Clue me in.