The film The Passion of the Christ was amazing, and said to be funded from Mel Gibson's own finances at great cost. How has the film done financially?
—June B., New York
Gibson's risky film about the last hours of Jesus did an excellent job of turning buzz into a box office hit. The actor/director spent $25 million to make it, and between its opening and closing weekends (Feb. 25 to July 23, 2004), its total take in the United States was more than $370 million. That made it the third highest-grossing film of the year, behind Shrek 2 and Spider-Man 2. In addition, worldwide sales reached $600 million. The movie, which starred Jim Caviezel as Jesus, ranks No. 9 on Variety's Top 250 Films of All Time box office openers list, with Titanic topping them all.
