Gibson’s Passion gamble pays off at the box office

MEL GIBSON’S gamble on The Passion of the Christ has paid off enormously, riding a storm of religious debate to a near-record $117.5 million haul in its first five days in the US.

"The Passion," rocketed to the No 1 box-office slot for the weekend with $76.2 million from Friday to Sunday.

It put up the second-best five-day figures for a movie opening on Wednesday, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at $124.1 million and ahead of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace at $105.6 million.