# The Passion of the Christ

> Church groups backed a film that opened to $83.8 million in North American cinemas.

- Owner: Mel Gibson / Icon Productions; Newmarket Films (US distributor)
- Kind: Film
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2004-02-25
- Milestone date: Week of Feb 29, 2004
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 60 (Viral, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Identity badge, Underdog, Controversy, Platform jump

## Summary

Gibson financed the film and courted religious leaders before release. Churches booked theaters and offered tickets beyond their congregations. The North American opening reached $125.2M in five days; Easter brought a rebound, and Fox later reported strong DVD sales.

## Timeline

- 2003-08-30 — Los Angeles Times (Press) — The Los Angeles Times reported that Fox had passed on distributing Gibson's film.
- 2003-10-22 — Icon / Newmarket Films (Press) — The Los Angeles Times reported that Icon would distribute the film with Newmarket's assistance.
- 2004-02-05 — Icon / evangelical organisations (Open web) — AP reported that promotional kits helped pastors reserve theaters and plan movie-related sermons.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/the-passion-of-the-christ

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “The Passion of the Christ.” Case HIS-01261. Spread Score v1.2: 60/100. Updated 2026-10-22. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01261