“Passion” breaks box-office records in Spain: two million see the film in 20 days

Madrid, Spain, Apr 21, 2004 / 22:00 pm

According to the film distributor Aurum, “The Passion of the Christ” continues to break records in Spain, with more than two million people having seen the film, which is being shown on 300 screens throughout the country since April 2.

Just in the region of Valencia, more than 240,000 people, according to representatives of Aurum Productions, have seen the movie.

Valencia and Murcia have a combined viewership of 332,600 people, “which equals more than $1,905,739 in ticket sales, from the 42 prints that have been sent to the different theater chains,” sources said.  In Valencia, seven copies of the prints were distributed, “corresponding to the number of screens on which they are being shown.”

Ticket sales in Valencia have indicated a positive response from the public, which in turn means, “these types of movies, if they are well-made, can be very successful,” said Fr. Jose Luis Barrera, who has organized several forums and roundtable discussions concerning the movie in parishes across Valencia, in an interview with the AVAN news agency.

Across Spain entire theaters have been rented out for showings and for discussion groups after the film ends.

Meanwhile the soundtrack for the movie, composed by John Debney, has sold more than 500,000 copies, making it a gold record, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Mel Gibson’s film has now become the seventh biggest film of all time, and since its February 25 release in the US, it has brought in more than 360 million dollars.