NewsMax.com
Saturday, Mar. 13, 2004

If the Hollywood insiders’ projections are met, Gibson will score one of the biggest individual windfalls in Hollywood history.

Financing the production himself and cutting favorable deals with distributors, have operated to Gibson’s benefit – creating an unprecedented windfall that ironically is largely owing to the major studios turning away from distributing the film.

"Passion" took in $228 million as of Wednesday. Still looming for the Gibson coffers are huge potential overseas ticket sales and DVD sales, which may grow the take considerably.

According to the Journal report, George Lucas, who financed and controlled all aspects of the release of his 1999 Star Wars movie, "The Phantom Menace," may be the only filmmaker in Gibson’s league.

Robert Schwartz of Newmarket, which handled the film’s distribution, noted: "We thought it might be capable of $45 million to $50 million, but beyond that it's a big gap."

On top of his share of the U.S. ticket revenue, Gibson is looking forward to at least another $100 million personal profit from overseas ticket sales – based on a foreign box office tally of $400 million.

Meanwhile, says the Journal, DVD and video sales are poised to push the film’s profits into the stratosphere.

Tom Adams, president of Adams Media Research, estimates that 22 million "Passion" DVDs will hit the world market – that’s a number on par with the first "Harry Potter" movie or "Shrek."

After covering costs, sales of the DVDs would yield $275 million, a sum that Gibson would split with Twentieth Century Fox Home Video, which has the rights to distribute the "Passion" DVD in the U.S.

"You have to figure he will get $100 million-plus," says Adams, referring to Gibson's cut of the DVD action.

Pay-TV rights are also waiting in the wings. Gibson stands to receive about $20 million from a TV deal. CD sales of the soundtrack may yield another $10 million -- and another several million from licensing and merchandizing.

If “Passion” does soar past the $400 million mark, it will surpass last year’s top moneymaker, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Rings has taken in $368.9 million at the U.S. box office. The all-time record in U.S. ticket sales is held by 1997's "Titanic," with $600 million.

Gibson personally financed the $30 million production cost of "The Passion."

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