In its second full day in theaters, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ held up remarkably well and grossed $14,781,316, dropping 44% from its opening day haul of $26,556,573. Take out the estimated $3M in preview grosses that were added to Wednesday's figure, and the decline stands at a surprisingly mild 37%. By comparison, Wednesday-to-Thursday drops for other recent high-profile event films bowing on Wednesdays include 51% for The Return of the King, 57% for Star Wars Episode I, 47% for The Two Towers, and 55% for The Matrix Revolutions.

To date, Passion has collected a stunning $41.3M going into the Friday-to-Sunday weekend period with tremendous strength. That puts it in the same company as The Phantom Menace, which launched with a Wednesday-Thursday take of $40.9M leading to a five-day bow of $105.7M. Also performing in similar fashion was The Two Towers which took in $40M in its first two days capturing $102M over its five-day opening frame. At its current pace, the Jesus tale may also reach the neighborhood of $100M over its Wednesday-to-Sunday debut frame.

For a review of The Passion of the Christ visit The Chief Report.

Be sure to check back on Saturday for continuing coverage of the opening of The Passion of the Christ.

Last Updated: February 27, 2004 at 2:45PM EST

Written by Gitesh Pandya