The Passion breaks attendance record

In just two weeks since its local opening, Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion Of The Christ has surpassed all expectations and raked in more money than the 13-week run of Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King.

Hobbit mania had hit our shores on the release of the final instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy but the religious theme has come out on top.

KRS Film Distributors manager Alex Pace said he was also surprised that in the first week of its release, 25,000 people watched The Passion, which was showing in five cinema complexes.

"The previous record of cinema attendances was held by Titanic. However, The Passion Of The Christ has exceeded the figures by 10 per cent. We have never had such a successful opening in Malta," he said.

Mr Pace said that before the film's release he had reservations on how popular the film would be among teenagers and young people.

"We are amazed that people of all ages are flocking to the cinema to watch it. There are those who have never set foot in a cinema since the days of the Rialto but have now come out to see this film tal-Bambin (about Jesus), as some refer to it."

Mr Pace believes that one of the reasons behind the film's unprecedented success is people's curiosity to find out what the hype was all about. Then, of course, there is Malta's ingrained Catholicism.

The film, which vividly depicts the last 12 hours of Christ's life and suffering on earth, stirred controversy across the globe after a number of people accused Mr Gibson that it was anti-semitic.

A composite account assembled from the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the film also raised eyebrows for being too bloody. However, the gore has clearly not disheartened the Maltese public.

The success of the film has also led to a booming business on the black market with pirate copies selling like hot cakes just one week after its launch in the cinemas, a situation which KRS Distributors wholeheartedly condemn.

"Eventually this pressing problem of piracy is going to push us into a situation where it will no longer make financial sense to bring low-budget films to Malta. The money we rake in from blockbusters makes it feasible for us to release low-budget films," he explained.