“The year 2004 saw Gibson return to the director’s chair for The Passion of The Christ. Funded by 25 million of Gibson’s own dollars, the religious drama generated controversy. Despite the debates surrounding the film — and the fact that all of the dialogue was spoken in Latin and Aramaic — it nearly recouped its budget in the first day of release, and in the end grossed over $370 million (all of which Mel later transferred directly to Christ).”

via Petition to Draft Mel Gibson and the official Mel Gibson Blog