GoFuckYourself.com - Adult Webmaster Forum - Crowds and protests greet Passion

The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson's controversial film about Jesus, took about $20m (£11m) at US box offices in its opening day, according to a report.
Film studio Icon told industry magazine Variety the controversy over the movie had "piqued interest" in the film.

Depicting Jesus' crucifixion, the film has come in for strong criticism from some Jewish groups who say it blames Jews for Jesus' death.

Jewish protesters in concentration camp uniforms gathered in New York.

The Passion's first day performance ranks it as one of the most successful openings outside the summer and Christmas seasons, Variety said.

It's obviously happening - big time," Icon chairman Bruce Davey told the magazine.

The overall one-day opening record of $39.4m is held by Spider-Man.

The movie, directed and co-written by Gibson, was released in more than 3,000 cinemas in the US on Ash Wednesday.

A woman in her 50s, Peggy Law, died during the crucifixion scene in a cinema in Wichita, Kansas.

Churches across the country booked screens for their congregations and helped sell tickets.

Among the protestors was Rabbi Abi Weiss of the Coalition for Jewish Concerns, who said the film had "absolutely no positive theological message".

"Its message is only that Jews were responsible for the murder of Jesus. It talks about love, but very, very minimally," he said.

Rabbi Bernhard H Rosenberg, chief rabbi of Congregation Beth El in Edison, New Jersey, said Mel Gibson would be "laughing all the way to the bank".

"Theatres are going to be packed, and his pockets will be lined," he said.

"Emotionally, if anyone is on the border of hating Jews, this will push you over."

The early cinemagoers included Kim Galbreath, 29, from Dallas, Texas, who said: "It's a little bit more brutal than you would think.

"I mean, there were times when you felt like it was too much. But I dare anybody not to believe after watching it."

Della Rounick, a Greek Orthodox Christian, described it as "a Rambo Jesus Christ".

And 90-year-old Edna Oatman of Pleasantville, New Jersey, dressed in her Sunday best for her first cinema visit since ET in 1982.

"If you read the Bible story, you know that Jesus died for the whole world, not just Christians," she said. "Maybe this will get people going to church."

Gibson has denied anti-Semitism and says the film highlights Christ's "huge" sacrifice.

He accepts that the film is violent but has said: "If you don't like it, don't go. If you want to leave halfway through, go ahead."

He said he faithfully portrayed the Bible's account of Jesus' last hours, and has been supported by Christian groups.

The Passion was also released in Australia, Canada and New Zealand on Wednesday, and will reach cinemas around the world in the next six weeks.

It is released in the UK on 26 March.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertain...lm/3488370.stm