Bartlesville residents circulate petition to get a movie to be shown

Sunday, January 25th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The controversy surrounding Mel Gibson's new movie. It doesnâ€™t even hit theaters for another month, but the film about the last hours of Jesus' life is already stirring up discussion.

One Bartlesville movie theater is trying to decide whether it even show the movie. News on 6 reporter Patrina Adger says managers at the Movie 6 Theater in Bartlesville say they want to show the film. But their corporate office doesn't know whether it will bring in strong audiences.

So far, hundreds of Bartlesville residents have signed petitions expressing their interest in seeing "The Passion of the Christ". Joyce Brecheisen started the signature drive last week to drum up support for the movie. The signatures will go to Movie 6 managers sometime this week.

The movie has been criticized by some as being anti-Semitic. Brecheisen says just like any other movie, the public should have the right to see the film and judge it for themselves. "I've read reviews about groups of people who have already reviewed it not just pastors but media groups, celebrity groups, and not just Christian people but people of all faiths, no faiths, and they are giving it a thumbs up."

Movie 6 is the only major theater in Bartlesville. So, if the film doesn't play there, folks will have to go somewhere else to see it.

'The Passion of the Christ' will be in theaters nationwide on Ash Wednesday, February 25th. It's been said that this movie has the potential to bring in as much revenue as the Titanic, which brought in a global gross of $1.8-billion.

And the movie theatreâ€™s managers know this. With so much word of mouth, they want to show this movie. They've said there's enough interest already to sell out the first day.