Gibson movie box office hit

MEL Gibson’s controversial film The Passion of the Christ had one of the best midweek opening days in the US ever, taking more than $20 million at the box office, the distributor revealed today.

That makes it the fifth highest midweek opening in US cinema history, behind films like The Matrix Revolutions and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Brandon Gray, of the analyst firm Box Office Mojo, predicted the film will have taken about $70m by the end of the weekend.