The US DVD/VHSrelease of The Passion Of The Christ on Aug 31 already appears to be mirroring the picture'sremarkable theatrical release earlier this year, selling more than 2.4m unitsby lunchtime.

According todistributor Fox Home Entertainment the release has bucked the trend oftraditional retail patterns, with most consumers buying an average of 1.8copies.

Mel Gibson's Aramaic and Latin-language epic was producedby Gibson and Bruce Davey's Icon Productions and chronicles the final 12 hoursof Christ's life.

It grossed$125.2m in its first five days when it opened through Newmarket on AshWednesday (Feb 25), and went on to gross more than $370m at the box office.

Among a rosterof records to its name, The Passion of The Christ is the biggest grossingR-rated release of all time, the biggest February release of all time, and thebiggest non-English language release ever in the US.