Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion of the Christ has sailed past the $200m (£108m) mark at the North American box office after two weeks.
It remains at number one and is just short of the returns enjoyed by Oscar-winning epic The Return of the King at the same stage in its box office run.
Word-of-mouth and return visits are sustaining The Passion's success, its US and Canada distributors have said.
The Passion of the Christ earned $51.4m (£27.8m) in the US and Canada between Friday and Sunday, according to studio estimates - taking its total to $212m (£115m).
It took 12 days to reach the $200m mark - the same as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.
Bob Berney, president of The Passion's distributor Newmarket Films, said: "I think this is an event or phenomenon, and people are checking it out across the board." |