When is the movie coming to theaters?

The movie is scheduled for release in 2,000 theaters across the U.S. on February 25, 2004 which is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the time when various branches of Christianity traditionally reflect on Jesus' sacrifice.

Who made this movie?

Icon Entertainment is the studio that made the movie. Icon is the Los Angeles-based film company of Oscar-winning actor/director Mel Gibson. Gibson is the director and co-writer of the film and has reportedly invested $25 million of his own money into the project.

Gibson told Outreach magazine, “I want this movie to affect people on a very profound level and reach them with a message of faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. Christ forgave even as He was tortured and killed. That’s the ultimate example of love.”

What is The Passion of the Christ movie rated?

Currently the movie is rated “R” due to violence and other elements related to the crucifixion of Christ and the events leading up to it.

According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) an R-rating means: "Restricted, Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent Or Adult Guardian." For any R-rated film, the MPAA advises: “Parents are strongly urged to find out more about this film before they allow their children to accompany them. Parents must find out more about an R-rated movie before they allow their teenagers to view it.”

Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham has said parents have to make a decision as to whether their children are mature enough to handle the film. "It is extremely violent because the cross was violent," he stated. While many Christians do not see R-rated movies of any kind, Graham believes the exceptional quality of The Passion makes the movie an exception to that rule.

In defense of the R-rating, Mel Gibson has been quoted as saying, “The Crucifixion is R-rated.”

Does the movie express anti-Semitism?

The film has received some criticism for being anti-Semitic. But biblical scholars and other Christian groups have defended the film, saying it sticks closely to the New Testament accounts of the crucifixion.

Dr. Billy Graham has said, "The film is faithful to the Bible's teaching that we are all responsible for Jesus' death, because we have all sinned. It is our sins that caused His death, not any particular group."