The Passion gets Easter boost

Apr 12, 2004 by Ian Evans

Box office pundits knew that Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ would get an Easter weekend boost and Christians boosted the film back into the top spot. The film’s estimated $17.1 million take knocked last week’s #1, Hellboy, into the second spot with $11.1 million.

Based on current estimates, two new films were tied for the third spot. The Alamo, which was delayed from an Xmas release to tweak a bit, took in a disappointing $9.2 million, the same as Cedric the Entertainer’s Johnson Family Vacation. Walking Tall strode into the fifth spot with $8.3 million.

Three new films also took the bottom three spots in the top ten. The reteaming of Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry, The Whole Ten Yards, took in $6.7 million, while the fairy tale Ella Enchanted had a $6.1 million opening. Finally, the R-rated comedy The Girl Next Door took in $6 million.