Coming soon: unrated ‘Passion’

Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” became the top grossing R-rated film ever with $611 million in worldwide box office receipts. Now, Newmarket Films is rolling the dice on an unrated version.

Aimed at those who were kept away by the movie’s graphic material, “The Passion Recut” is due out in 950 theaters on Friday, in advance of the Easter holiday. Gibson had hoped that a seven-minute cut would bring him a PG-13 rating. But his Icon Productions was informed by the Motion Picture Assn. of America in January that the film was still too intense for young people.

While R-rated films have gone out unrated on DVD, this is believed to be the first time that one has been re-released in theaters without a rating -- a marketing move designed to distinguish it from the original.

“This can be tricky,” conceded Newmarket President Bob Berney. “It’s hard to know the commercial impact .... We have to fight the perception that ‘unrated’ means more graphic. The ‘Recut’ release is admittedly experimental. Who knows whether people who’ve seen ‘The Passion’ or bought the DVD will turn out? Realistically, the movie should play a few weeks beyond Easter. We think it will do some business, but nobody knows how much.”

In “Recut,” Gibson excised some of the scourging scenes from the story -- the tale of the last hours of Christ -- as well as graphic images of the crucifixion. Different camera angles and long shots have also been inserted. Rather than depicting the nails penetrating Christ’s body, for example, the film has a shot of a hammer coming down. The film’s website (www.the passionrecut.com) posted a statement from Gibson, a portion of which is featured in the print ads: “By softening some of its more wrenching aspects, I hope to make my film and its message of love available to a wider audience.”

John Fithian, president of the National Assn. of Theatre Owners, said that the major studios are contractually prohibited by the Motion Picture Assn. of America from releasing unrated movies. The option is available to independent distributors such as Newmarket Films, but it is not without risk, he noted.

“Some theater chains will not play unrated movies,” Fithian said. “And the companies that will are going to enforce this movie as an R rating -- refusing to sell tickets to children under the age of 17 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.”

According to Berney, “Recut” lands somewhere between an R and a PG-13, for which parental guidance is suggested. While still unsuitable for young children, the tone and balance are more appropriate for teens and those who are a bit squeamish, he said.

In London, the rating for “Passion Recut” has been reduced from an 18 (the country’s equivalent of an R) to a 15, Berney said. In Australia, the recut version will carry the same rating as the original -- MA for mature adults. In the U.S., “Recut” will play in all the major markets -- but not in Regal Theaters, the world’s largest movie chain.

Icon filed suit against Regal last summer, alleging that the company had short-changed it on “Passion” box office receipts. Last week, Regal settled the case for several million dollars, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Gibson’s Icon has sent out checks to hundreds of faith-based organizations in the wake of the settlement, compensating them for a $500 fee Regal charged on top of its ticket prices for private screenings.

In a letter accompanying the checks, the director said that he was “shocked and disappointed” by the charge, of which Icon was never informed. Regal said that such fees -- internally referred to as a “worship price” -- are commonly charged to cover marketing and overhead costs. Icon estimates that Regal hosted 1,400 screenings.

Newmarket offered “Recut” to Regal nevertheless, but the company turned it down, Berney said. Regal could not be reached for comment.

A grass-roots evangelical campaign has again been employed for “Recut,” though substantially smaller in scale. E-mails have already been sent to churches advising them of the new version. Group sales, which drove the original to blockbuster status, are expected, particularly over Easter week. Each time the holiday rolls around, Newmarket intends to re-release a version of “The Passion” -- either the original or the recut version. DVD plans for “Recut” are not yet in place, but a home video release is likely in late 2005 or early 2006. Whether bonus features, which were absent from the original, will be part of the package is yet to be determined.

Berney said the “event” nature of the original makes “Recut” a better bet than it might seem. “ ‘Passion’ has always defied convention, and we continue to break rules. People are not used to re-releases. But this movie has nine lives.”