Passion breaks records in Italy
April 11, 2004 | bengisu yilmazturk
Mel Gibson's controversial religious blockbuster The Passion of the Christ has broken box office records on its first day on release in Italy.
The film took 1.22m euros (£804,000), beating the record held by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King which took 1.11m euros (£732,000) in a day.
It is on general release in Italy, with no age restrictions.
The film has taken over £5.5m in the UK since it was released on 26 March, and has been a big hit in other countries.
It opened on 700 screens across Italy, including several in the southern town of Matera, where much of the filming took place. In many cinemas, tickets sold out within hours of going on sale.
The film, which details the last 12 hours of Jesus' life and is shot in the ancient languages of Latin and Ara
more: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3611841.stm (66)
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