Will The Passion Movie Have Political As Well As Spiritual Consequences?

Vanity | 2-20-2004 | John Fields

[ARA]

Welcome Borderline44 02/20/04

[solitas]

PLease don't use the terms Christian and Catholic in contradistinction. The terms are Protestant and Catholic. Thanks. We are ALL Christians.

Um, ACTUALLY: Protestant, ROMAN Catholic (or 'RC' or 'CoR' - Church of Rome, if you like), Greek Orthodox Catholic, et.al. The term 'catholic', contrary to popular belief, is an adjective and not 'owned', as such, by a religious organization in a little borough in the middle of Rome...

[jonboy]

In all honesty, I couldn't tell you aside from all of the people that Gibson approached and was told thanks but no thanks. I've read countless stories about this movie and don't recall much more in some cases than impressions. But do you think he'll be winning any Oscars unless he gets a few modern day miracles going for him? The left HATES this movie and there's no lefter bunch of people than in Hollywood.

Sorry, Calcat, I posted this to you earlier by mistake.

[The Cuban]

Urbi et Orbi

[HitmanLV]

I agree with you. The film industry has been my hobby since like age 7 or 8 (along with WWF wrestling, so what does that tell you about me?)

The 4000 prints is the first I have heard. The Numbers movie website reports 2800 screens, as big a February rollout as I am aware. Still, its a long film, means fewer shows per day in the very important first days and weekend.

I think this will be a hard film to watch multiple times. That being said, I am predicting it will do very well, and I don't doubt it's very well made and powerful.

[jonboy]

4500 instead of 4,000? You can correct me ANYTIME you want. Thanks!

[jonboy]

I was corrected earlier, the number of prints was actually 4500. As to the length, I just looked around and discovered that it is approximately 2 hours long. While long, it shouldn't TOO adversely affect the number of showings.

[TheCause]

Well.....jonboy, after having read your piece I can only say this.

That was truly inspiring and I will have a Wonderful Weekend and Wonderful upcoming week because I was lucky enough to read your post!

I really think you hit the nail on the head.

I will be thinking about what you said when I sit in church on Sunday with my three wonderful children & my lovely wife.

Have a Wonderful Day!

[HitmanLV]

The 4500 print figure may not be for the USA - I had heard 2000 screens for a while, and recently that was bumped up to 2800. Of course, it could be bumped up again, I can't say. My source for the 2800 screens is:

http://www.the-numbers.com/features/TCountAll.html

Which is estimated but I have never seen them be that far off for an opening screens estimate. I hope it's 4500, though - for pete's sake, 50 First Dates is at over 3600 screens! Sheesh! There is no justice!

As for the run time, I could have sworn I read it would approach 3 hours but I was wrong. I checked quickly and there seems to be agreement on running time, but the consensus has it at around 2 hours or so, so it should be able to play plenty of times in any given day, and the time won't be a negative.

[Gal.5:1]

The movie is in the same languages the Bible was originally written in,

--
The Bible was written in Hebrew, and GREEK.

[Positive]

The 2001 study, the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), by Barry A. Kosmin, Egon Mayer, and Ariela Keysar at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, indicates that 76% of Americans identify themselves as "Christian."

The current population is around 285,000,000, indicating approximately 216,000,000 Christian-Americans.

At an average of $8.00 a ticket, if 25% of the Christians see the movie once that comes to roughly $433,000,000.

My guess is this movie will go into the mega-blockbuster category.

[Positive]

"The left may be disarmed, but to the rabid Islamist, a sold-out screening may present a tempting target."

I predict that if something of this nature were to occur, it would mark the beginning of the end of "Islamists" in America.

[reed_inthe_wind]

Your anlysis on the financial impact sounds rational. I regretted using the word "severe" after posting my piece. But, I still think that The Passion has the potential to be watched many times over because it (potentially) helps one contemplate a mystery of faith. I can't make a firm judgement until I see actually see the movie. Thanks.

[HitmanLV]

Friend,

I agree with you and I expect it to be watched many many times, just not in theaters. It's a safe bet that this will be one of the biggest DVD releases of all time, maybe the biggest DVD release of all time. Many folks who take religion seriously will buy it, as will fans of Gibson and cinema.

The Passion has made the jump from movie event, to media event, to cultural event. That's very rare. It will be handicapped by the brutality, I think, something that will be more subdued on the small tv screen, rather than .

The trick is, this film will attract people to the movies that don't often go. It will be bought on DVD by people who don't often buy DVDs. It will make records, no doubt - it's full impact remains to be seen.

As for me, I am a practicing catholic and I am a huge fan of cinema. That being said, I rarely go to the movies anymore (though I am 'only' 36, haha!) since hollywood's output is so bad. I have a huge DVD collection, 1200+ discs, skewing heavily to older films (1975 and earlier), since that's where my taste skews. I was more excited about the release of 'Once Upon A Time in the West' than I was over the Special Edition of 'XXX' - hahah! The best DVD I will get in 2004 is the 8-film 'Best of Abbott & Costello, vol 1, for only 20 buks! So I am 'oldschool!'

But I'll see the Passion next Saturday, and I will also buy the DVD. This isn't a movie it's an event. That's whats ticking off religionphobes the most.

[discostu]

I doubt that, not because of the movie but because of technology. The re-release to theaters is pretty much dead in the VHS/ DVD age. Unless they're doing something to the movie (like adding new scenes or effects, or like with Fantasia super cleaning the prints) there's no longer a market to go into a theater to watch a two year-old movie, given the accelerated release rates (Hollywood makes about 10 times as many movies a year now as they did in the early 80s) I'm sure the hard part is convincing theaters to find room in their schedule.

[Clintons a commie]

you think that a Hollywood production of the sort that Last Temptation of Christ was had an innocent kiss on the mouth that wasn't intimating something else I've got a sea-side resort in Arizona to sell you

I wouldn't recommend LAST TEMPTATION to anyone, but I think you need to see the scene in its context before you say it was meant to convey anything sexual at all. The film is based on Kazantakis' book, and the book has a very Mediterranean flavor; emotions and affection are expressed differently in other cultures than they are in America. Here in the States, any affection between men at all is suspect. In other cultures, it's very natural.

[Quix]

AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!

FOR SURE. WELL SAID.

BTTT

[solitas]

Urbi et Orbi
[from the] city to [the] world? So, what's _that_ supposed to mean?

[solitas]

Poor Mel, his detractors said, he'll be out so much money, between $25-$50 million by the time you count distribution costs. I predict that once the dust settles Mel will be a billionaire from this venture. Not only will this movie be seen by Christians, but detractors and curiosity seekers will see it as well. Plus the HUGE Catholic audience worldwide will want to see it. Also consider how many people will be seeing this movie multiple times to send a message. We haven't even looked at DVDs and videos which will be purchased later for evangelism tools and for personal collections. I wouldn't think of not owning this movie. Also consider the other merchandising.

Gibson's no fool: the pocketbooks of the pious are just as deep as those of the lemmings who have to be the first in line for the latest "blockbuster". Considering all the free publicity he's been given (this website just being a minor example), by his dealings and interviews and private screenings, and who _was_ and who _wasn't_ invited to a screening, everything goes to show he knew what he was doing and is going to make a lot more than if he just kept his mouth shut, made the film, and put it out with only the regular showing of advertising. Posit a religious belief, or in some way demonstrate your faith or expound upon it and not only will you have your detractors and conscientious defenders but also unintentional detractors and defenders caught along in the undertow.

There are those who only want to be entertained with another "blood and mud" movie, there are those who will attend hoping for some kind of divine experience (not saying that they won't think they'll have one), plain old curiosity seekers, malcontents looking for another device to be insulted/offended/scandalized by, aforementioned lemmings, and the regular crowd wanting to see another crucifixion movie. Six months from now all the conflict will be blown over; and then in a year the DVD will come out and I'll bet it'll be presented with a nicely merchandising "own the movie everyone's been talking about today or you won't go to heaven" spiel. Sad.
< /my interest in the topic>

[jonboy]

I think you absolutely nailed the audience make-up. This movie would have done well enough WITHOUT the religious crowd. By the time you throw in the factors of controversy, free interviews, ALL of the media people such as Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, and others singing its praises while at the same time its detractors are downing it (creating curiosity), I think it's safe to say this will do just fine at the boxoffice.