Mel Gibson has made a new cut of The Passion of The Christ, trimming five to six minutes of violent scenes, according to Variety Magazine. The new version, The Passion Recut, will be shown on 500 to 750 screens by Newmarket Films beginning March 11.

The new version will be unrated and is expected to run through Easter weekend.

While the original film grossed $370 million on an initial theatrical run that began Ash Wednesday last year, Gibson cut a less-violent version of his film in response to an audience segment that skipped it because of the depiction of onscreen violence as Jesus Christ was tortured by Roman troops prior to being crucified.

"There are no new scenes, and the cuts are limited to the more violent aspects of the film, if that's the right term," said Bruce Davey, Gibson's partner in Icon Productions. "The scourging scene in particular has been substantially adjusted."

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