THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST Returns to Theaters This September

Published: July 4, 2026

By Movieguide® Staff

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST is heading back to theaters nationwide this fall, remastered in 4K with a new Dolby Atmos mix approved by director Mel Gibson himself.

“THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST remains one of the most extraordinary theatrical experiences ever created,” Kevin Grayson, president of worldwide distribution for the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a July 1 press release. “For millions of people, it was far more than a movie—it became a powerful shared cultural and faith experience.”

Lionsgate and Fathom Entertainment announced Wednesday that the 2004 movie will run in theaters Sept. 10–17, more than two decades after it became a cultural phenomenon and, for 20 years, the highest-grossing domestic R-rated movie of all time. Tickets go on sale online July 24 and at participating box offices, with locations subject to change.

Fathom worked with Lionsgate to remaster the movie from its original camera negative, adding a new color pass supervised by original cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on the movie. Gibson personally reviewed and approved the new Dolby Atmos audio mix, and Lionsgate cut a brand-new full-length trailer to mark the movie’s return.

The re-release carries extra significance this time around: moviegoers will get an exclusive behind-the-scenes sneak peek at Gibson’s long-gestating sequel, THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST: PART ONE, which Lionsgate calls the largest faith movie ever made. That movie, executive produced by Cedar Hill and Mike Ilitch Jr. Productions, arrives in theaters May 6, 2027, with Jim Caviezel reprising his role as Jesus.

“Few modern-day films have made as much of an impact on the cultural landscape as THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST,” said Ray Nutt, chief executive officer for Fathom Entertainment. “Twenty years ago, faith-based and more secular-leaning audiences alike embraced Mel Gibson’s cinematic masterpiece and made it a true success, ushering in an era of opportunity for future religious-themed projects.”

Gibson’s movie, filmed largely in Latin and Aramaic, follows Jesus’ final hours from the Garden of Gethsemane through the Crucifixion and Resurrection. It earned three Academy Award nominations upon its 2004 release and, at Movieguide®’s own awards show the following year, took home the Epiphany Prize® for Most Inspiring Movie along with a Teddy Bear Award®.

Movieguide®’s original review called THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST “a must-see movie, beautifully directed, powerfully acted, and with terrific sound,” awarding it a full four out of four stars for quality. The review didn’t shy away from the movie’s brutality, noting that the violence inflicted on Jesus “highlights the demonic quality of the battle Jesus was fighting” and that audiences who watch it “understand, perhaps for the first time, the price that Jesus paid to forgive us our sins.”

For families weighing whether to bring teenagers, Movieguide® rates the content at -2, urging “extreme caution for older teenagers and adults” given the movie’s graphic depiction of the scourging and crucifixion. That intensity is the point, and it’s likely why the movie has stuck with audiences for two decades: it refuses to let viewers look away from what the cross actually cost.

Gibson has spent years developing the sequel, telling podcaster Joe Rogan that the script — co-written with his brother Donal Gibson and Randall Wallace — covers ground “from the fall of the angels to the death of the last apostle.” He’s called the project “super ambitious” and admitted he’s “not wholly sure” he can pull it off, but says he’ll take a crack at it anyway.

Whatever THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST becomes, its predecessor’s return gives longtime fans and a new generation alike one more chance to sit with the original on the big screen it was built for, before the story continues.

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