Latest in The Passion of the Christ

Will the movies ever let religion back into the mainstream? It doesn't seem likely,  given the secular bent of most critics, festivals, and film awards. But the question could certainly occur to any thoughtful viewer of Marco Pontecorvo's Fátima, which is set for release by Picturehouse in theaters and via PVOD on…

Editors Note: This Mel Gibson interview originally appeared September 6 after the triumphant Venice Film Festival premiere of Hacksaw Ridge. The dialogue seemed worth another look as Hacksaw Ridge opens this weekend to a wide audience. After a decade absence, Mel Gibson returned to directing last weekend with Hacksaw R…

The Venice Film Festival has added special screenings of 40 minutes of virtual reality feature Jesus VR – The Story Of Christ. At a full 90 minutes, the film is produced by Toronto-based Autumn Productions and LA’s VRWERX. The companies previously set a Christmas release on all major VR platforms. Now, they’ll have a…

John Debney’s “La Pasión Oratorio,” inspired by the composer’s Oscar-nominated score for The Passion of the Christ, was recently performed at the Mosque Cathedral of Córdoba, Spain – appropriately during Holy Week. The concert attended by 6,000 people was the first orchestral concert at the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba…

Peter Bart and Mike Fleming Jr. worked together for two decades at Daily Variety. In this occasional column, two old friends get together and grind their axes, mostly on the movie business. FLEMING: I found it interesting that audiences turned up their noses at A Walk Among The Tombstones, a thriller that had what…

After the strong staying power of this weekend’s God’s Not Dead and the stronger than expected opening of Paramount Pictures’ Noah following on the heels of the surprise opening of Fox’s Son of God earlier this year, is there any doubt anymore Hollywood that if you build it, they will come? That’s three for three…

Related: Journalist's Plea: Hollywood, Take Mel Gibson Off Your Blacklist I commissioned veteran investigative journalist Allison Hope Weiner to write an opinion piece on how she evolved from critical reporting of Mel Gibson’s verbal indiscretions and into a friend who made a case for him being given another chance in…

How ironic is it that Hollywood studios walk on eggshells with faith-based groups hoping their religious epics like Noah do a fraction of the business Mel Gibson did with The Passion Of The Christ, while those studios continue to shun Gibson like a leper? What better way to commemorate Passion‘s 10th anniversary than j…

Easter Sunday seems an appropriate time to focus on Hollywood’s treatment of the subject matter of religion. When it comes to making movies from various Biblical interpretations, conventional wisdom says stick close to scripture and the faithful will flock. Mel Gibson hewed closely to the New Testament with 2004’s The…

SUNDAY AM: Here are the official blockbuster numbers — Paramount Pictures release of Marvel Studios’ Iron Man, in 4,105 theaters, made an estimated $35,125,000 on Friday 5/2, an estimated $37,500,000 on Saturday 5/3, for an estimated 3-day weekend box office of $100,750,000. Advance screenings in select locations…