'Passion' Grows to $125 Million at Box Office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" keeps on defying conventions.
The film's boffo preliminary weekend estimates were revised upwards Monday when final numbers came in. The Friday-to-Sunday haul came in at a stunning $83.8 million, bringing total sales to a massive $125.2 million since its Wednesday opening. (The number includes $3 million from private previews the prior two days.)
Early estimates on Sunday put the weekend at $76.2 million and the total at $117.5 million. But that projection was based on a somewhat typical weekend model, where Saturday is the biggest day of the weekend, followed by Friday and Sunday.
"Passion" rendered that model irrelevant. When the final grosses were in, Friday's was $22.9 million, Saturday's was $33.1 million, and Sunday's was $27.9 million -- 22% higher than Friday and down just 16% from Saturday.
For a film to sustain such a small drop from Saturday to Sunday, and likewise make that big of a leap from Friday's gross, is unheard of at the box office in this day and age.
"I am not really sure what the reason is but it's probably a combination of things," Newmarket Films president Bob Berney said. "We had very strong Sunday matinees, and the overall strength of the weekend pushed people into the Sunday evening shows when they realized the daytime shows were sold out. We're also getting a strong response from the Latino moviegoers, and Sunday is typically a big movie day for that audience."
The weekend debut of the Icon Prods. film is by far the biggest opening in history outside of the near-summer and year-end holiday periods; it's the ninth-highest grossing weekend of all time; the biggest opening in February, topping MGM's "Hannibal" ($58 million); it's the second-biggest debut for an R-rated film, behind Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Matrix: Reloaded" ($91.8 million); and it's the largest debut ever for an independent film.
"Passion" holds the crown for the second-highest-grossing first five days for a film opening on a Wednesday. Minus the $3 million in previews, the first five days of "Passion" pulled in $122.2 million, just behind New Line Cinema's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" ($124.1 million), but ahead of 20th Century Fox's "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" ($105.7 million).
While most prognosticators have been wide of the mark on nearly every prediction about "Passion," if exit polls are any indication, the picture should hold up very well in the weeks ahead. According to CinemaScore.com, a sensational 99% of respondents gave "Passion" a positive grade.
The audience skewed slightly female at 52%. It was an older audience, but fairly balanced: 29% were under 24 years of age, 30% were between 35 and 49, and 27% were older than 50. Not surprisingly the main draw of the film was the subject matter.
Industry sources speculated that midweek business for "Passion" would probably be cut in half or more from the weekend totals, and that next weekend's box office should hold up very well, slipping perhaps 30% or so. Most blockbusters lose about 50% in their second weekend.
Other films opening last weekend included Paramount's "Twisted," which landed in the third slot with a discouraging $8.9 million. The R-rated thriller doesn't seem likely to fare well in the weeks ahead as a dismal 63% gave the film a positive nod, according to CinemaScore.com. Genders were in equal proportions, and it was a largely older audience, with 81% over 25.
Lions Gate's "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights" placed fifth on its debut with a disappointing $5.8 million. The film received a favorable grade from 83% of those polled. The dance-themed romantic drama drew more females than males, at 64%, and played younger, with a solid 63% being under the age of 25.
Fox Searchlight's "Club Dread" arrived in the 10th spot with a bleak $3 million in its debut. The youth-oriented comedy, which carried an R rating, generated an 83% positive grade in exit polls and played predominantly to young males.