Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" took in $23.6 million on opening day, positioning it as the biggest religious-themed movie since "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur."
The film also took in an estimated $3 million in private screenings for church groups Monday and Tuesday in advance of the official opening Wednesday.
The $26.6 million U.S. and Canada total released Thursday was well above distributor Newmarket Film's preliminary estimate of $15 million to $20 million a day earlier.
"We wanted to be a little strategically conservative," said Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket, which Gibson hired after no Hollywood studio would handle the film because of its divisive subject matter. "Prior to the opening, I don't think we could have counted on a $26 (million) to $27 million opening, but we'll take it."
The movie is well on its way to the $100 million mark, Schwartz said. The 1959 Roman-Christian epic "Ben-Hur" grossed an estimated $74 million, while 1956's "The Ten Commandments" took in about $65.5 million, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. Source.
