Streaming services are aware that they must cater to a diverse audience. While parents may pay for a platform because they want their kids off their backs, they will need their money’s worth when it’s time for them to take a turn with the TV. The easiest way to keep users happy is to fill the library with notable TV shows and movies that are worth checking out even decades after their release. A quick check of the Netflix Top 10 reveals that Happy Gilmore is one of the best-performing movies in the United States, which isn’t all that surprising given that it has a sequel on the way later this year.
Adam Sandler’s golf comedy isn’t the only movie on the platform that has a follow-up in the works, though. Anyone who signs up for Netflix will gain access to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, which follows Jesus Christ in the hours leading up to his death, but there are other ways to watch the movie. In addition to renting it on platforms like Fandango at Home for a few bucks, it’s also available to stream for free on Tubi.
Releasing in 2004, The Passion of the Christ took the box office by storm, bringing in over $600 million at the box office. It was one of the highest-grossing movies of the year and earned three nominations at the 77th Academy Awards. However, all the good publicity didn’t stop The Passion of the Christ from stirring up controversy. The film was called out for taking creative liberties with the story of Jesus’ death and including its fair share of violence. Gibson also came under fire for the movie’s depiction of Jewish people, which came back to bite him later when he went on an anti-Semitic rant after being arrested in 2006.
Despite ending up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, Gibson isn’t done with the Jesus story. A sequel to The Passion of the Christ, titled The Resurrection of the Christ, is set to begin filming later this summer after being on the back burner for years.
Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ Sequel Is Deep Into Development
Gibson has been working on the script for The Resurrection of the Christ for a number of years, but it’s taken until 2025 for him to find a studio partner. Lionsgate is ready to team up with the director to bring his vision to life. Adam Fogelson, the chair of Lionsgate’s movie division, sounded excited when he announced the partnership with Gibson.
“For many, many people across the globe, The Resurrection of the Christ is the most anticipated theatrical event in a generation. It is also an awe-inspiring and spectacularly epic theatrical film that is going to leave moviegoers worldwide breathless,” he said in a statement. “Mel is one of the greatest directors of our time, and this project is both deeply personal to him and the perfect showcase for his talents as a filmmaker. My relationship with Mel and Bruce dates back 30 years, and I am thrilled to be partnering with them once again on this landmark event for audiences.”
One of the hurdles Gibson will have to overcome after finally getting the green light is making it seem like very little time has passed between his first Jesus movie and its sequel. When he sat down with ComicBook last year, he sounded confident in his ability to pull it off.
“So it’s like, you know, I have ways of dealing with that, because, you know, twenty years ago is [supposed to be] three days later,” he explained. “So it has its own peculiar set of problems, which I think I can solve.”
Are you going to watch The Passion of the Christ now that it’s on Tubi? Will you see The Resurrection of the Christ when it hits theaters? Let us know in the comments below!
