'The Passion' Tops Weekend with $125,185,971 in 5 days

Has anyone heard anything about theaters doing special showings during Holy Week?

I can't think of a better time to see the movie than Good Friday.

We go out and knock on doors instead.

Yuck.

(and also showed slides of crucifixion art instead of ads beforehand).

Beautiful!

we have only seen it once, but, we are bringing our kids.
I think the 2nd will have a different effect on us.

I think your right

"perhaps more moving, since the mind could transcend the shock from the scourging of Christ - and now reflect more purely on his suffering,"

Re: #33. Excellent. "Passion" is gaining in box office strength in comparison to the other blockbusters as time goes on.

Knocking on doors is a sign of conviction and courage. It is easy to post anynomously on the internet. Courage will confront the enemy face to face.

the early church went house to house.

Blessings, bobo

is the violence too much or did Mel do what he said and "give the audience escapes" from the ongoing violence?

I hate gore but did very well with this. Yes, there are "escapes." Don't want to give anything away. Try to put away your preconceptions and just experience it.

It's not exactly fair to compare movie box office takes over time since the most recent shows will always have the advantage of higher admission prices. Great blockbusters of the past like Gone with the Wind are disappearing from the charts due to inflationary trends. Even Titanic which was only a few years ago probably had lesser admission prices than what you pay today. I would think a fairer comparison would be actual number of paid admissions but we never hear of that.

I can't think of a better time to see the movie than Good Friday.

Me either. I'll be seeing this again at the theater at least one more time.

The movie is not "violent" like Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction or movies where there are lots of people being blown to pits. This movie basically shows one man's suffering--the longest part is the carrying of the cross, and while it shows a lot of suffering it's not really "violent" per se.

The violent parts are the whipping and the nailing, but it doesn't go on and on too long really. I think this "too violent" stuff is just Hollywood and the media trying to scare people away from it. . .nobody said anything about "Saving Private Ryan" being too violent to see (and it was WAY more violent than the Passion!).

I couldn't watch "Resevoir Dogs" torture, but the Passion was kinda like the Pope said: "It is as it was."

The escapes are flashback scenes to earlier parts of Jesus' life and they do give a nice respite to the suffering.

Your teenage son will be just fine. I myself didn't cry at the violence, but I DID cry (and I NEVER cry in movies!) at the scene where Mary remembers Jesus as a toddler, as I'm the mother of 3 small boys myself. . .

(I'll bet "Jesus Christ - Return of the King" will be seen by even more people. All of them actually.)

Hee Hee and on our knees as well!

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime//

Good point. boxofficemojo.com has this page which allows you to compare the all time list, sorted by inflation adjusted dollars.As you see, GWTW is #1. Hey, The Ten Commandments is #5!

I once saw a breakdown that adjusted for the number of paid viewers, and then ANOTHER one which adjusted for the fact that the population was lower, so they did a conversion for the number of paid viewers divided by the size of the US Population, proving that by all means and measures, GWTW was the most popular movie of all time, by far.

(Knocking on doors is a sign of conviction and courage. It is easy to post anynomously on the internet)

Which is why I use my real name...no fair posting something I can get flamed for then hiding behind a nick-name.

Imagine if every church, cult, philosophical association, and new age organizations did what you do. No one would ever have any peace at home. They'd be too busy opening their doors to somebody who was convinced that they were the only ones with the TRUTH. Door knocking is harassment.

'Passion' ping

the poor crows, lots of them are being eaten today. LOL

Observation:

While waiting in line for "The Passion", I noticed people talking, laughing, and sharing their expectations of the movie. Typical movie line.

As the crowd from the previous showing filed out of the theatre, they were quiet and many showed signs of remorse. Tears were in many eyes. Not a typical exit from a movie. I have constructed the following as an explanation for those who are interested....
====================

The Passion of Christ: What is it all about?

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, it was foretold that He would come. That he would be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, return to Jerusalem and be hung on the cross to die for our sins.

Imagine being born and raised with the knowledge that He was the Messiah. It would probably seem cool at first, until He realized that His role in this world was to suffer the pain of the cross and die for our sins.

Yet, He did it!!!

We all know that reading the Bible can seem daunting. The following outline and passages provide a quick reading of the prophecy and culmination of His passion for us.

How The Cross Was Foreseen…

Genesis 22 ( Every action has an equal and opposite reaction - Justice demands a sacrifice for sin - God demanded Abraham's only son )

¹ Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. ² Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." ⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" ⁸ Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. ⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. ¹² "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." ¹³ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram ^[1] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." ¹⁵ The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time ¹⁶ and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD , that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, ¹⁸ and through your offspring ^[2] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." ¹⁹ Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Isaiah 53 (The prophesy of the Messiah written in ~700BC)

¹ Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? ² He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds, we are healed. ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

LUKE 2:41 (Evidence of His Righteousness)

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

⁴¹Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. ⁴³After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." ⁴⁹"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he was saying to them. ⁵¹Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

2 Cor 5:21

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

PSALM 22 (His dying on the cross)

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning? ² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. ³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. ⁴ In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. ⁵ They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. ⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. ⁷ All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: ⁸ "He trusts in the LORD ; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him." ⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. ¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God. ¹¹ Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. ¹² Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. ¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. ¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me ^[2] in the dust of death. ¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. ¹⁷ I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. ¹⁸ They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

John 10:11-15 (He predicts His resurrection)

¹¹"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

LUKE 24:36-53 (His resurrection is witnessed)

³³They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." ³⁵Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

³⁶While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." ³⁷They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." ⁴⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. ⁴¹And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³and he took it and ate it in their presence. ⁴⁴He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

The Ascension

⁵⁰When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. ⁵¹While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. ⁵²Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ⁵³And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Christians are not perfect, only forgiven. It is their faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ that leads them to act in righteous ways and repent when they sin. They realize that every sin is a drop of His blood and therefore avoid sin wherever possible.

If you find your heart opening to Jesus Christ, find a church near you that is focused on our relationship with Jesus, the Bible (His Word) and fellowship.

#1 WHERE: the PLACE Jerusalem (Genesis 22; 2 Chron 3:1; Hebrews 11:17-19)

#2 WHEN: the DAY Nisan 14 Jewish Calendar Holiday Day Of PASSOVER ( Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23); 1 John 1:29; I Cor 5:7 “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us…” In John 2: 13-19)

#3 HOW: the METHOD The Lowest Form Of Execution In The Roman Empire Crucifixion (Isaiah 53/ Psalm 22)

#4 WHY: the PURPOSE To Bridge Relationship Between God And Man (Isaiah 53/ Psalm 22)

#5 WHAT: the TRIUMPH (Lk 2:41-50; John 10:15-17)

Just when you cannot take anymore and want to scream for it to stop or to jump in to help Jesus yourself, Mel adds a little scene to let you cath yourself. Then, it is right back to the unrelenting torture that hits you again and again and again. Just when it is too much, Mel releives things just a bit, and so on. It was a powerful movie. My hands were literally shaking at certain points, let alone the many tears. Bring a roll of paper towel.

You should be fine. I'm glad I heard about the brutality beforehand. We were able to sit through it, and yes, there are momentary gaps that allow you to catch your breath. OTOH, the woman beside me left early and her date followed her about 15 minutes later (probably to find out what was happening with her)...they never returned.

And a lot of people who don't go to the movies very often are waiting for the crowds to die down, like me.