‘Passion of the Christ’ to Be Given Wider Release

In response to unexpectedly high demand, Newmarket Films and lcon Productions have significantly expanded the release of “The Passion of the Christ,” Mel Gibson’s subtitled, R-rated portrayal of the last hours of Jesus.

The $25-million film is now booked in 2,800 theaters, the companies said, nearly as many as such mass entertainment offerings as “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” and “The Last Samurai.” It had been set to show in 2,000 theaters.

Projections of box-office performance also have been adjusted. Marketing executives at other studios predict that the movie will take in more than $40 million in the first five days, $10 million to $15 million more than the previous estimate.

The film has become a lightning rod, embraced by evangelical Christians and decried by some Jewish groups fearful that it will fuel anti-Semitism.

“While the numbers look good, we don’t breathe easy until” ticket holders are in the seats, said Bruce Davey, chief executive of Gibson’s Icon Productions. Many factors beyond audience appeal can affect box-office receipts, Davey noted. “We released ‘Hamlet’ at the beginning of the first Iraqi war and everyone stayed home to watch Scud missiles. There are certainly more lumps and bumps to come.”

When the movie opens Wednesday, more than 4,000 prints will be distributed. The companies said advance ticket sales totaled $10 million -- $2 million from groups, primarily Christian churches that have booked 800 theaters for two days before the film’s official release.

According to Bob Berney, president of Newmarket Films, the movie’s nationwide distribution will be slightly heavier in the South and Midwest. The Cinemark theater near Dallas is one of several scheduling a midnight Tuesday show, after which the movie will run 24 hours straight. At 6 a.m., the theater will start showing it on all 20 of its screens.

Locally, Hollywood’s Arclight Cinemas will have a midnight show but forgo the daylong screenings set for Long Beach’s Cinemark at the Pike.

Interest in the film probably grew after Gibson’s Monday night interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s “Primetime Live.” According to Nielsen Media Research, 17 million viewers tuned in -- the most for a non-sports hour on that network since “Stephen King’s Rose Red” two years ago, although still 2.5 million behind CBS’ “CSI: Miami.” Among newsmaker interviews, the show ranked No. 1 in the key demographic of adults 25 to 54, edging out Michael Jackson’s “60 Minutes” interview in November.

The interview triggered 18.3 million hits on the movie’s website the next day, up from a daily average of 10 million the week before.

In a separate development, Regal Theatres, the nation’s largest chain, said it had decided against showing movie trailers before “The Passion,” while AMC Theatres said it would screen only the PG-13 variety.

Print advertising will kick in Sunday, following the first week of network commercials.

Meanwhile, a coffee-table book based on the movie is among Amazon.com’s 10 fastest sellers. And, even before it hits stores next week, the Integrity/Sony Music “Passion” soundtrack is No. 22 on Amazon because of pre-sales.

No premiere is planned for the movie. “To put one on costs $100,000 -- and we might as well spend that on a couple more ads,” Davey said.

Both Davey and Berney believe “The Passion” benefited from Icon’s yearlong grass-roots evangelical campaign, and that the controversy didn’t hurt.

“Six months ago, even a forecast of $10 to $15 million [in the first five days] would have been considered outrageous,” Berney said. “But you won’t catch me talking numbers. If the opening is even one dollar short, it will be considered ‘disappointing.’ ”