Mel Gibson’s long-awaited follow-up to one of the biggest R-rated films of all time is finally coming together, with filming onThe Resurrection of the Christset to begin in August of this year. However,the movie will have to go a long way at the box officeto match the success of its predecessor.Everything known aboutResurrectionindicates that it will explore the three days following Jesus' crucifixion, but concrete story details are under wraps. Many have speculated that the film could have a much greater fantastical edge, following Jesus' spiritual journey through that period.
Faith-based films have found incredible success in domestic markets in recent years, andthere are many reasons to believeResurrectioncould do well.Thetrue story-inspiredSound of Freedommade it into the top 10 highest-grossing films domestically in 2023, and the company behind the film, Angel Studios, has continued to find audiences with their other offerings, including their series,The Chosen. Still, there are some questions aboutMel Gibson’s potential at the box office afterFlight Riskfailed to connect, and it remains to be seen if his next spiritual epic can live up to expectations.
The Passion of the Christwas released in 2004 and was an enormous hit.Produced for a modest $30 million, the film grossed $370 million domesticallyand $622 million worldwide. With these incredible numbers,Passionheld theR-rated box office record in domestic marketsfor 20 years until it was finally dethroned last year byDeadpool & Wolverine. This is a notable feat, because it also shows how significant the domestic interest in the film was, withPassionremaining the second-highest grossing R-rated film in the US and Canada to this day, outperforming giant hits likeJokerandOppenheimer.
It is surprising thatPassionwas able to make so much money, and still remain so high on this list, without even factoring in inflation.Much of the film’s success had to do with grassroots organizing, which saw producers on the film reaching out to churches across the USA to organize advanced screenings. This guerrilla marketing strategy was controversial, but effective. Churches encouraged their congregants to see the film, bolstering the product’s success by tying it in with religious obligations to their faith and beliefs.
Resurrection Of The Christ Will Struggle To Beat Passion’s Box Office
The Box Office Has Changed, And The Passion Was An Anomaly
The Resurrection of the Christcertainly has the chance to do well, but it is worth noting thatit would have to be one of the biggest movies of the year to match its predecessor’s success.The box office is much more difficult to navigate than it was in 2004, and audiences are more selective. Only thebox office for 2024’s topseven movies were able to earn more thanThe Passiondid 20 years prior, showing thatResurrectionwill have an incredibly difficult time living up to it.
There has also recently been discussion about splittingResurrectioninto two films. This could also affect the box office, as several movies over the years with Part 1 attached to their names, likeMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One,have underperformed.
The Passionintegrated many spiritual elements into its story, but the film was a fairly realistic take on Jesus' last days on Earth.Resurrection, meanwhile, will have a harder sell. Gibson appeared on theJoe Rogan Experienceearlier this year, wherehe described the sequel as an “acid trip,” detailing how so many crazy and shocking elementshave made their way into the script. These fantastical details may not be as easy to sell to general audiences, and could wind up hurting the film’s chances at the box office.
Resurrection Of The Christ Will Still Be A Major Success
The Film Will Almost Certainly Have A Strong Audience
Following the success of films likeSound of Freedom, which made $250 million worldwide, and a constant presence of similarly targeted faith-based andChristian moviesthroughout the years,Resurrectionis likely to do very well.The Passion of the Christrecently trended on Netflix, and there is an enormous audience, especially domestically, who would turn out to see the rest of the story. Still, this will all be dependent on several details, as there are a few obstacles that will need to be overcome.
The first is the budget.IfResurrectionis as strange as Gibson describes, the film could command a much larger price tag,which would make its bar to profitability that much higher. If Jim Caviezel is brought back, they will also need to de-age him digitally.Joker 2’s box officeshowed that sequels to beloved R-rated films do not always connect, and audience perception towards Gibson has changed significantly over the years. With all of this in mind, the new film will not likely reap nearly as much profit asThe Passion, though it will probably be a success.
Audiences have wanted to see the rest of Jesus' story since the powerfulThe Passion of the Christreleased more than 20 years ago, and that will finally happen with the release ofThe Resurrection of the Christ. The film is highly anticipated, and long rumored, althoughit remains to be seen if it can perform at nearly the same level asThe Passion.Whether the film releases in 2026 or later,The Resurrection of the Christwill certainly have an interesting box office that will be worth paying attention to.
