The Passion of the Christ (film series)

The Passion of the Christ is an American multi-language film series consisting of epic biblical drama movies, based on the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as explained in The Holy Bible. The film series is directed, co-written, and produced by Mel Gibson. The films center around Jesus Christ's life, ministry, death and resurrection.

In addition to directing, from scripts that he co-wrote, the filmmaker produced the productions due to Hollywood's disinterest in developing the first installment. Following the financial success of the original movie, Gibson negotiated a contract with Lionsgate Entertainment to serve as both a production studio, and the distributing company for the sequels. Though the first installment was met with polarizing reception, including a mixed at best critical reception, despite the acclaim it received from its audience. it exceeded expectations by becoming a box office hit and became a financial success through its ticket sales.

Notably, The Passion of the Christ was also the highest-grossing R-rated film for two decades. Earning its status as one of the greatest Christian-themed movies of all-time, it also remains the most financially successful of the genre in film history, as well as the highest-grossing independent film of all time. It received three nominations at the 77th Academy Awards in 2005, for Best Makeup, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.

Its sequels, the second and third installments in the film series, began principal photography in August 2025 and will be released theatrically in 2027.