As Jim mentioned, The Passion of Christ earned $23.6 million at the box office on Wednesday. (Total gross through Wednesday, including special screenings on Monday and Tuesday, was $26.5 million.) Let’s put that number in perspective. Return of the King earned $34.5 million on its Wednesday opening–so The Passion’s numbers are big but not unprecedented, unless you also consider the fact that it’s a movie with subtitles, for crying out loud. Also, Mel Gibson’s Braveheart also opened on a Wednesday in 1995, earning $1.4 million, then $9.9 million on its first three-day weekend and $75 million total. (The source for my numbers is here.)