Religion, or faith, is called the most solid and unbreakable thing in the world.
It is an existence more deeply rooted in people's hearts and souls than all other emotions such as family affection, love, and friendship.
Even after the most painful torments, devout believers still remain steadfast, and such instances are countless throughout history.
But at the same time, conflicts between faiths are often the most cruel, and many wars in history have been triggered by religious beliefs.
Even in the new century, there are still a large number of theocratic states in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia still uses Islamic law to regulate its legal system, and Sunni and Shia conflicts continue.
In America, theists find it much easier to gain market acceptance than atheists, because here, religious belief and faith are equated.
Some conservative congressmen once again expressed their opinions, demanding restrictions on film and television creation and an increase in censorship.
"And the craze for the passion of the christ, in the eyes of the Jewish People, is equivalent to splashing dirt on themselves, it's slander."
"The actors' performances were superb, and James Caviezel's portrayal of Jesus was very vivid. It's said he was struck by lightning twice during filming but remained unharmed."
"Very fast, as if premeditated. I think they must have had the drafts in hand for a long time, just waiting for the movie to be released to publish them immediately."
"Hehe. Although I have no proof that you stole it, if I just say it out loud, how do you think the crew will look at you?"
The first five-day box office reached an astonishing 145 million, directly climbing to the third place in film history, second only to transformers and the lord of the rings: the return of the king.
Neil sighed, "I've become the Jewish People."
"Not necessarily. Hollywood is, after all, a gathering place for the Jewish People. Mal Gibson has incurred public wrath this time."
"My great director, I bet you're definitely reading reviews of the passion of the christ."
"You're the one who stole it!"
"Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Judaism, it all seems so complicated. Why are they hostile? Because of Judas?" Theron asked curiously.
Nicole smiled, "Neil, did you steal my money yesterday?"
"The earliest of the four factions to emerge was Judaism. The Jewish People in the Middle East, surrounded by powerful enemies, began to pray to Heaven."
However, with great praise came great hatred. The spokesperson for the Jewish People Association strongly criticized the film, deeming it overly cruel and intentionally distorting history.
Now, with the sudden appearance of the passion of the christ, the environment it faces is vastly different.
But opposing the soaring box office was an escalating wave of criticism, not only from the Jewish People and some media, but also from social organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Anti-Discrimination Association, which jumped out in fierce opposition.
Although Bush is also a believer, he did not hesitate to wage war when necessary. He used religious belief as a card to win votes.
"Boss, do you think it will plummet after this?"
"Without a doubt, the passion of the christ is a brilliant and sincere film. We rented out a cinema to watch it, and it proved to be a worthwhile endeavor."
"But it's not all bad news. The first day's box office is in. the passion of the christ took in 33 million dollars. I was stunned when I heard that figure."
Nicole waved her hand somewhat awkwardly, "I was just bluffing. How many people in Hollywood truly believe in this religion stuff!"
"Later, a man named Jesus began to claim that he was Christ, the messenger of God, and urged everyone to believe in him."
"Hehe. Then let me give you a brief overview."
He picked up his phone and glanced at it. There was a text message from Carol. Eric called her back.
Thus, public opinion pushed him to the forefront, and various criticisms and curses overwhelmed Martin Scorsese, who could only continuously apologize.
Eric looked at Nicole, "You should ask Nicole about this. As a Catholic, she should know very well."
"That's right. Anyway, no matter how good the movie is, it's useless. In the eyes of many, its existence is original sin."
"the passion of the christ is the most sincere and moving film I've seen in years. It follows the guidance of the New Testament, truly presenting that history to people and letting everyone understand the greatness of Jesus."
"But no one knows when Christ will arrive, so the Jewish People can only wait patiently."
"The Bibles of both sides also began to differ. Judaism speaks of the various covenants that the Jewish People made with God, which is the Old Testament, or the Hebrew Bible."
"Later, the Roman Empire split into Western Rome and Eastern Rome, and Christianity also split into two accordingly."
As they spoke, Nicole and Theron also walked over. Eric saw them smiling.
For five consecutive days, the box office of the passion of the christ continued to rise.
The film's box office eventually only sold for over 8 million dollars. Even if it were fifteen years ago, the outcome could only be described as a disastrous failure.
If you don't believe in religion or God, in the eyes of many, you have no faith, and are therefore a terrible person who is not ambitious and lacks moral constraints.
Theron's eyes revealed admiration: "Eric, your knowledge is so vast, it seems nothing can stump you."
Some time ago, Eric felt very good after watching the finished film. This 'very good' was without religious overtones; purely from an artistic perspective, it was very moving.
Eric chuckled, readily accepting the adoration, and made no mention of having consulted experts out of curiosity after the internal screening.
Fifteen years ago, Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ caused an uproar in countries that believed in Jesus.
The astonishing explosive power stunned everyone, including Mal Gibson's production company. BOX continuously adjusted its box office projections, from an initial 95 million dollars in North America to the current 330 million dollars in North America.
Although most celebrities claim to be believers, they still engage in promiscuity and sleep with fans. They don't bat an eye when doing drugs. In this regard, Hollywood and politics are surprisingly similar.
"It's only been one day, and the reviews are out so quickly?"
Eric smiled, "That's because there were presale tickets. The movie had too much hype, and many people booked their tickets in advance."
The distributor, Universal, also couldn't withstand the pressure and dared not expand further after a small-scale screening.
However, the Chile shoot is almost over. They'll return to America after these few days of filming.
Taking advantage of someone selling off, he even instructed Michael and the women to buy as much as they could, confident that it would appreciate in value and be a sure profit.
"An incredible film, entirely in Latin and Aramaic dialogue. If it weren't for the English subtitles, few would know what the actors were saying."
"This is a great film, and I will mobilize believers to watch it together."
Fortunately, a quiet place was released a week earlier, otherwise it wouldn't have even gotten a weekly box office champion. Now the two films hold the top two spots.
In particular, the film attributed the root cause of Jesus' death to the Jewish People, which is even stronger anti-Semitism, inciting social emotions and urging people not to watch the film.
"This is Mal Gibson's directorial masterpiece. Just when everyone thought braveheart was insurmountable, he delivered the passion of the christ. Hollywood needs such profound directors, and audiences need profound good films."
For over a decade, Hollywood had only skirted around religious themes in films, without delving deeply. But Mal Gibson clearly went too far this time.
"That won't happen. A decline is certain, but the drop should be very small, because it is indeed an excellent work, if one doesn't look at it with prejudiced eyes."
"You know what? This must be the Lord protecting him. And Monica Bellucci's portrayal of Maria is also excellent. The movie deserves to be seen by more people."
"The Christian Bible includes additional stories of the Jewish People and Jesus, which is the New Testament."
"The Jewish People believe that there is God in heaven, and God will send a savior down to save them. This savior is called the Messiah, which is Christ."
The two women were also quite strange; sometimes it felt like they were competing, other times they laughed and joked like best friends. It was hard to figure them out.
"Because the doctrine of Christianity is to save all people, the number of believers grew rapidly, and then it was designated as the state religion by the Roman Empire."
"Mal Gibson is not only an excellent actor but also a great director. Many people cried in the cinema."
"I didn't, I oh, I understand."
"Yes, the domestic entertainment section has been taken over by this film. No one is even discussing the Super Bowl incident anymore."
The first weekend raked in a whopping 83.8 million dollars, ranking 7th in film history, with transformers' opening week being the first.
Chile, the Inception set. Everyone arrived successively to prepare for today's filming.
He portrayed Jesus as a flesh-and-blood human, who underwent numerous trials and ultimately achieved enlightenment and transcendence. Judas, the traitor, was also reinterpreted as a tragic hero enduring humiliation.
"Following Malèna, Monica Bellucci has finally delivered another profound performance. It seems all she lacked was an excellent director and an excellent script."
"Tears for the suffering Jesus endured, tears for Jesus' compassionate heart that saved everyone."
Many film critics also criticized the film for excessively promoting violence, deliberately torturing Jesus on the big screen for an hour to attract attention.
In addition, the Orthodox Church Association, which has fewer followers in America, also highly praised it, and many film critics gave it positive reviews.
"Those who believed in Jesus formed Christianity, so Christianity was originally a branch of Judaism."
"Because the Jewish People, due to doctrinal conflicts, united with the Roman Empire to execute Jesus. This episode is clearly recorded in the New Testament."
"Mal Gibson bringing this history to the big screen is equivalent to putting the Jewish People who follow Judaism on a spit. The Jewish People naturally hate him to death."
"Thus, Judaism began to split. Those who did not believe in Jesus continued to await the coming of Christ and adhered to Jewish doctrine.
At the same time, Carrie Simpson, spokesperson for the Protestant Alliance, also gave an interview, likewise praising the film.
Movies like Havana Nights, Club Dread, 50 First Dates were no match. the passion of the christ is aggressively poised to be the box office champion for the next few weeks.
Eric shook his finger, "No, those are two different things. In the eyes of Christians, the Jewish People are the sinners who killed Jesus, the savior."
Neil Blomkamp brought a laptop to Eric, saying worriedly, "Boss, things don't look very good. A lot of people are attacking it."
"So the four denominations each have their own conflicts, but because Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism all split from Christianity, when facing Judaism, these three can unite against a common enemy."
"After a few more centuries, the corruption of Catholicism grew increasingly severe, so Martin Luther again split from Catholicism and founded Protestantism."
"You say you're right, and I say I'm right. Religion is inherently subjective, and there's no evidence, so it just comes down to whose voice is louder."
"Actually, although these four denominations are very distinct here, in countries with weaker religious influence, they are collectively referred to as Christianity. People there simply don't care."
Although atheists only account for 0.2% of prisoners, having faith doesn't stop them from murder, rape, robbery, theft, and human trafficking.
A few even called for a ban on Mal Gibson and all the actors, demanding they be permanently expelled from Hollywood.
"It doesn't look too bad. There are still quite a few supporters."
"But in the eyes of the Jewish People, what they did was absolutely correct. Jesus was a criminal who spread heresy and deserved to be killed. They did nothing wrong."
ABC Television interviewed Donahue, president of the "Catholic League," who stated directly that the film was excellent and truly reflected religious history.
The two women then sat on either side of Eric, opening websites to browse various reviews. Overall, the opinions were mixed, not as bad as Neil had suggested.
Although Eric publicly claimed to be Catholic, it was all a smokescreen, using his mother as a cover to fool idiots.
"You know, Americans don't watch subtitles, but the passion of the christ managed to keep everyone quietly glued to the big screen for two hours. It's a miracle."
Neil Blomkamp obediently gave up his spot. Having been with Eric for over a year, he was very observant and understood that the two women and his boss definitely had some sort of ambiguous relationship.
Neill Blomkamp's face changed, and he quickly shook his head: "What! What are you saying! How could I possibly steal money!"
It is the dirtiest circle in the world, and also the circle that "believes" in God the most.
Making your significant other admire you can actually greatly help to deepen the relationship.
Even MGM, which had remained silent, was dragged into it. Anyone who investigated carefully knew that AK Films was MGM's front company, and this time it was exposed. Its previously continuously rising stock price suddenly stalled and even began to fall.
Old Martin may have just wanted to make a film to express his own ideas, but the reshaping of religious history is not permissible.
"Director, I still don't quite understand. Even if Mal Gibson didn't make the movie, this issue would still exist. It's been thousands of years, what's there to hate?" Neil frowned.
The internet is more developed, and information spreads faster, which means it is destined to become the most tumultuous religious film since The Last Temptation of Christ.
"Western Rome's is Catholicism, which most Western Europeans believe in. Eastern Rome's is Eastern Orthodoxy, which Eastern Europeans, Russians, Ukrainians, Serbs, and other countries believe in."
New York, Seattle, New Orleans, and other places are already showing signs of protests and gatherings. The impact of the event has already surpassed the Super Bowl incident not long ago.
However, Eric was not worried about this, after all, the money was solidly in his pocket. Once the public opinion storm passed, the stock price would naturally rise back up.
Early in the morning, Eric yawned. Last night he dealt with Theron first, then went on a date with Nicole, so he didn't get enough sleep again.
"What's wrong, Carol?"
"Boss, Disney, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Fox, and Warner Bros. have all jointly requested that we blacklist Mal Gibson!"