Movies

Mel Gibson’s Controversial Jesus Film Surges Again on Streaming

BBG News

21 years after its release, Mel Gibson’s Jesus movie, titled The Passion of the Christ, continues to stir up debates. Despite facing controversy since its inception, it has undeniably achieved success with an impressive run at the box office and numerous award nominations, ultimately becoming a hit over two decades later.

It’s no accident that The Passion of the Christ saw success on streaming platforms, given that it is soon to have a sequel after two decades. As anticipated, films depicting the life of Jesus Christ were among the popular choices over the Easter weekend. In essence, The Passion of the Christ was one of the most popular movies of the week.

The Mel Gibson-directed film that recently premiered on Netflix climbed up to the second spot in the global non-English rankings for the week between April 16th and 22nd. During this period, it garnered approximately 8.5 million views and was watched for a total of 17.1 million hours. Despite not taking the top position, its continued success 21 years after release remains truly remarkable.

In a total of 46 countries, The Passion of the Christ made it to the Top 10 list, even reaching the first position in several nations such as Costa Rica, Mexico, and Guatemala. Surprisingly, in the United States, the film ranked 9th on the top 10 charts. However, on April 22nd, The Passion of the Christ was only the 24th most-watched movie in the U.S.

During Easter, “The Passion of the Christ” wasn’t the sole project featuring a religious figure. In different territories, the 2016 drama film “Risen,” starring Joseph Fiennes, Cliff Curtis, and Tom Felton, with Kevin Reynolds as director, also found its way onto Netflix charts. Similarly, the critically acclaimed film “The Two Popes,” directed by Fernando Meirelles and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce, appeared on Netflix in Hungary, Paraguay, and Slovakia. With Easter and the death of Pope Francis at 88 years old, these films were noteworthy additions to the streaming platform.

Drawing inspiration from The Passion in the New Testament, Gibson helmed the movie, having co-written the script with Benedict Fitzgerald. In this biblical drama, Jim Caviezel portrayed Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern took on the role of Mary, his mother, and Monica Bellucci played Mary Magdalene. The film offered a faithful depiction of Jesus Christ’s tale as told in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ,” was incredibly successful. It shattered the record for R-rated movies at the box office, earning a staggering $612.1 million globally on a meager production budget of just $30 million. During that year, it ranked as the fifth highest-grossing film, trailing behind only Shrek 2, Spider-Man 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and The Incredibles.

Nevertheless, the film titled “The Passion of the Christ” garnered both commercial success and controversy. While some critics condemned the graphic violence and potential anti-Semitic undertones, others appreciated the acting and Gibson’s daring creativity. The movie even earned recognition, with acclaim from notable critic Roger Ebert and three Academy Award nominations.

The Passion of the Christ Will Receive a Sequel

For quite some time now, Mel Gibson has been hinting at a project in the works. In 2023, he referred to the script for the sequel as a “psychedelic journey.” It is being jointly written by Gibson and Randall Wallace. Earlier this year, Gibson officially confirmed the speculations regarding its title, and disclosed that it would be titled “Lethal Weapon 5.

The follow-up to the contentious faith-based movie is set to start production in August in Italy. Similar to its predecessor, this sequel will be brought to you by Icon Productions and filmed entirely at Cinecittà, much like the successful 2004 film.

The Passion of the Christ is streaming on Netflix.

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2025-04-23 01:51

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