Consumers across the country purchased a one-day total of 4.1 million copies of Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ," released on DVD and VHS on Tuesday, according to Elliott Wallach, director of marketing and promotion for Namesake Entertainment, based in Century City, Calif.

The trend among purchasers is to buy more than one copy, with an average of 1.8 copies per customer, he said.

In Bismarck, response to the release has varied from good to fair, according to some local retailers.

Bismarck's Rainbow Shop presold 50 copies, said store manager Matt Mitzel. It's been selling well, he said; a handful of people bought two or three, even four copies. Most have told him they are buying "The Passion" for their home library, and one person said she bought extra copies to give away as an evangelizing ministry.

"Brisk, but not crazy," is how Mitzel would characterize sales, he said.

The movie hasn't been one of the greatest-sellers among new releases at Bismarck's Target store, according to store team leader Doug Kautzman. The store ordered 1,000 copies and still has plenty left, he said.

The store anticipated the movie selling well and those expectations haven't been met, he said.

Wal-Mart's sales in Bismarck of "The Passion," were good, according to sales associate Nathan Wandler. In DVD, 975 copies have been sold; in VHS, 128, he said.

Blockbuster in Bismarck ordered about 40 DVDs for rental, said store manager Chris DeMaster. All have been rented at least once, he said, a figure that's about average for new releases. Blockbuster has sold a few, but not out of the ordinary range, he said.

"The Passion of the Christ" premiered on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25, amid nationwide controversy about its R-rated violence and charges of anti-Semitism. It went on to gross more than $370 million at the box office, placing it among the top 10 grossing movies of all time, Wallach said. The movie is the No. 1 R-rated film in history, he said.

Produced by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus, the film was shot in Aramaic and Latin with English subtitles.