SUBMITTED BY Timbo
February 13, 2004 — Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" will be hard to find in Manhattan, Chicago, Beverly Hills, or Long Island. But movie-goers in the South or less economically desirable areas will have no problem, according to Roger Friedman of Foxnews.com
For example, in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, the film will play in a handful of out-of-the-way-theatres -- one in Times Square, two in fringe areas of the East Side, one second-run theatre at Broadway and 100th St. and one in Harlem. There will be one screen below 34th St, and none from 42nd St. to 96th St. on the West Side. This excludes all prestige venues like the Ziegfeld, the Paris, the Beekman and Sony Lincoln Square.
Theater-goers will also be hard-pressed to find "The Passion of the Christ" in Nassau County, Long Island on either the south or north shore, or in affluent Westchester County, New York.
The pattern, for the most part, highlights black neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods. For example, all the Magic Johnson theatres in the country will show the movie, as will multiplexes in urban centers.
Gibson obviously thinks there's a potential problem in Chicago, where "Passion" will be on only two screens. Otherwise, Chicagoans will have to go to the suburbs.
The same goes for the wealthier and trendier parts of Los Angeles such as Beverly Hills and Century City. Those who are curious will have to seek their "Passion" in odd places, in out-of-the-way cineplexes. You won't be able to see it at the Beverly Center, for example. But four theatres in economically less desirable San Jose, Calif. will show the film.
All of this seems designed to keep "The Passion of the Christ" out of neighborhoods that are considered Jewish, upscale or liberal.
Friedman draws the conclusion that the movie is being withheld from areas that wouldn't give it a positive reception. It seems to me that Newmarket, the distributor, is just releasing it where people want to see it. Make up your own mind; read the rest at the link below. |
