How Gibson Marketed The Movie"� The Passion Of The Christ"?

On February 25, 2004, after a yearlong debate involving Mel Gibson's self-financed $30 million film, released on 4,643 screens in 3,006 theatres in United States.  After Two months in April of 2004 the total number of theatres had gone to 3,408. A sale of this film alone was more than $10 million.  

Gibson ignored Hollywood's traditional publicity machine to market the film himself and relied on methods that had been used in the promotion of earlier religiously themed films.  These included

• Personal invitations for many high profile churches.
• Going to different churches religious leaders.
• Targeted grassroots marketing
• Healthy dose of controversy
• Merchandising efforts to very specific market segments

Churches leaders had been invited to view a preview of the film on their own encouraged their worshippers to purchase large number of tickets.  Stores stocked their shelves with film-related products such as coffee mugs, licensed crosses, cross-nail pendants, coffee table books and artwork.

Getting the media attention that happened immediately after its opening and with word-of-mouth publicity, the film exposed its marketability in ways that few films had ever demonstrated.  In the first five days after its release, The Passion of the Christ had $125.2 returns million, leading The Lord of the Rings.