"The Passion of the Christ" was the top film for a third straight weekend, taking in $31.7 million and pushing its total beyond a quarter of a billion dollars, reported the Associated Press March 14.

After 19 days in theaters, the film has grossed $264 million in the United States and Canada, according to yesterday’s studio estimates.

With more viewers expected to take in the film between now and Easter, the film’s U.S. distributors expect "The Passion" to gross between $350 million and $400 million. That would put it on par with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", which grossed $371.2 million as of this weekend.