It’s always a risk when remaking a Hollywood classic which is much moved by everybody and it seems that for the producers of Ben-Hur it seems that the gamble hasn’t quite paid off.
The big budget remake of the 1959 film starring Charlton Heston has flopped at the American box office on its opening weekend. The new version which stars actors Jack Huston and Morgan Freeman took just $11 million, meaning that it came in at number 5 in the box office takings. It’s a wildly disappointing start of the film which cost a whopping $100 million to make, meaning that it is unlikely that the film will recoup its costs, let alone make a profit.
The film tells the story of the noble Ben Hur being accused of treason by his childhood friend. After living under the rule of the Roman’s, Hur’s life is changed forever when after he has several encounters with Jesus. The original film was a huge box-office smash (the highest grossing film of the year) and went on to win a staggering 11 Oscar’s at the Academy Awards.
Suicide Squad remains at the top of the US box-office for the third week running. The story follows a group of highly train agents who undertake a covert mission. It grossed $20 million in its third weekend.