LOS ANGELES, Mar. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Mel Gibson's controversial depiction of Jesus Christ's crucifixion was a box hit in North America, with a haul of 117.5 million US dollars in first five days, according to preliminary studio estimates released Sunday.

    "The Passion of the Christ," which has stirred a storm of religious debate, became the second-best film in five-day opening, behind last year's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"at 124.1 million dollars and ahead of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" at 105.6 million dollars.

    It is also the first movie released in 2004 to cross the 100-million-dollar mark.

    "It's an event movie," said Bruce Davey, Gibson's partner in his film company Icon Productions. "It all began with the grassroots campaign we started, but the controversy has obviously helped in creating awareness."

    The film has been criticized by some Jewish groups for fanning up anti-Semitism, by reviving the notion that Jews were collectively responsible for Christ's death.

    Gibson has denied such accusations, and key cast members including Jim Caviezel, who plays Christ, and Maia Morgenstern, a Jewish actress who plays Mary, said Gibson approached the film with great respect for Judaic traditions.

    The film made more money than the rest of the top 12 films combined, with other new movies making barely a ripple.

    The champ of the last two weeks, the romantic hit "50 First Dates," slipped to second place with 88.7 million dollars.

    The crime thriller "Twisted" debuted at No. 3 with 9.1 million dollars from Friday to Sunday. It was followed by "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," which took the fourth place with 6.1 million dollars.

    Rounding up the Top Five was "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," a prequel to the 1980s hit, which took in 5.9 million dollars.

    "The Passion of the Christ" provided a boost to the box office this weekend, ending four straight weekends of declining revenue, as the top 12 movies took in 132.1 million dollars, up 53 percent from the same weekend a year ago. Enditem