Hollywood star Mel Gibson, flush with the huge success of his film "The Passion of the Christ", has splashed $15 million on a private Pacific island.

The Australia-raised screen heartthrob flew to Fiji earlier this month where he bought the 2,160-hectare island of Mago from a Japanese hotel chain, News24.com reported Saturday.

"He wants to keep it as an exclusive getaway for his friends and family," the website said.

Gibson plans to turn the Pacific paradise, which is home to 40 residents, mostly coconut farmers and their families, into his own personal retreat, it said.

The South Pacific island has two lagoons and stunning white sand beaches, it said.