Ben-Hur Budget
HistoryDramaAdventure3h 32mUpdated
Synopsis
The story of Judah Ben-Hur, a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala, an officer in the Roman army. Stripped of his title, separated from his family and the woman he loves, Judah is forced into slavery. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but an encounter with Jesus leads him to the Crucifixion, where he discovers forgiveness and finds redemption.
What is the budget of Ben-Hur?
"Ben-Hur," a history released in 1959, was directed by William Wyler and stars Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd. The production budget was $15,000,000, placing it in the low-budget range for history productions of the 1950s.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a history production like this include:
- Above-the-Line Talent: Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances.
- Location Filming & Period Production Design: Authentic locations , whether contemporary or historical , require scouting, permits, travel, lodging, and often significant dressing to match the story's time period.
- Post-Production, Color Grading & Score: The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone.
- Development: Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, ran to about 550 pages.
What were the major cost factors in Ben-Hur?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Ben-Hur."
- Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.
- Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.
- Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.
How Does Ben-Hur's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $15,000,000, Ben-Hur sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- A Dangerous Method (2011): Budget $15,000,000, Worldwide Gross $27,462,041
- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997): Budget $16,500,000 , Gross $67,711,748
- Away We Go (2009): Budget $17,000,000, Worldwide Gross $15,779,455
- Ashfall (2019): Budget $17,700,000, Worldwide Gross $61,321,941
- 127 Hours (2010): Budget $18,000,000, Worldwide Gross $35,700,000
The median budget for wide-release history films in the era ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Ben-Hur Box Office Performance
"Ben-Hur" earned $74,432,704 domestically and $164,000,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $15,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.
A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Ben-Hur," that break-even threshold was roughly $30,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $164,000,000, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $15,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $164,000,000
- Net Return: $149,000,000
- ROI: approximately 993.3%
At 993.3%, "Ben-Hur" earned roughly $10.93 for every $1 invested in production.
Ben-Hur Production History
Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, ran to about 550 pages. Zimbalist hired a number of screenwriters to cut the story down and turn the novel into a script. According to Gore Vidal, more than 12 versions of the script had been written by various writers by the spring of 1958.
Wyler felt Tunberg's draft was too much of a morality play overlaid with current Western political overtones, and that the dialogue was too modern-sounding. Zimbalist brought in playwright S. N.
MGM opened a casting office in Rome in mid-1957 to select the 50,000 people who would act in minor roles and as extras in the film, and a total of 365 actors had speaking parts in the film, although only 45 of them were considered "principal" performers. He typically cast the Romans with British actors and the Jews with American actors to help underscore the divide between the two groups. The Romans were the aristocrats in the film, and Wyler believed that American audiences would interpret British accents as patrician.
Awards and Recognition
Won 11 Oscars. 29 wins & 13 nominations total
- Academy Award for Best Sound: Franklin Milton (32nd Academy Awards)
- Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic or Comedy Score: Miklós Rózsa (32nd Academy Awards)
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award for Best Picture: Sam Zimbalist (32nd Academy Awards)
- Academy Award for Best Special Effects: Albert Arnold Gillespie (32nd Academy Awards)
- Academy Award for Best Special Effects: Milo B. Lory (32nd Academy Awards)
- Academy Award for Best Special Effects: Robert MacDonald (32nd Academy Awards)
- Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Color: Elizabeth Haffenden (32nd Academy Awards)
Critical Reception
Ben-Hur received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release. Bosley Crowther, writing for The New York Times, called Ben-Hur "a remarkably intelligent and engrossing human drama". While praising the acting and William Wyler's "close-to" direction, he also had high praise for the chariot race: "There has seldom been anything in movies to compare with this picture's chariot race. It is a stunning complex of mighty setting, thrilling action by horses and men, panoramic observation and overwhelming use of dramatic sound."
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Ben-Hur (1959) cost to make?
The production budget was $15,175,000, making it the most expensive film ever produced up to that point. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer staked the studio's survival on the project, which was reportedly in active jeopardy of bankruptcy without the film's success.
How much did Ben-Hur (1959) earn at the box office?
The film grossed approximately $74,000,000 in its initial 1959 theatrical run and $146,900,000 across all worldwide reissues. It was the highest-grossing film of 1959 by a wide margin, with rentals of approximately $33,000,000 in North America alone.
How many Oscars did Ben-Hur win?
The film won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for William Wyler, and Best Actor for Charlton Heston. The record was matched but never exceeded by Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).
Who directed Ben-Hur (1959)?
William Wyler directed the film. Wyler had directed Heston previously in The Big Country (1958) and was a three-time Best Director Oscar winner with Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959). Ben-Hur was Wyler's most expensive and most awarded production.
Who stars in Ben-Hur (1959)?
Charlton Heston plays Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince in Roman-occupied Judea. Stephen Boyd plays Messala, his childhood friend turned Roman antagonist. Supporting cast includes Jack Hawkins as Quintus Arrius, Haya Harareet as Esther, Sam Jaffe as Simonides, and Hugh Griffith as Sheik Ilderim.
Where was Ben-Hur (1959) filmed?
Principal photography took place primarily at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, where the chariot-race arena was constructed at full scale across 18 acres. Additional location work was done in Libya, Lake Albano, and Anzio for the Roman sea-battle sequence.
How long did the chariot race take to film?
The chariot race took five weeks to film with 78 horses, 15,000 extras, and a track 1,500 feet long by 65 feet wide. Stunt coordinator Yakima Canutt and his son Joe Canutt handled the choreography. The sequence cost approximately $1,000,000 to produce.
Is Ben-Hur (1959) based on a book?
Yes. The film adapts General Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, the best-selling American novel of the 19th century. The book had been adapted previously as a silent film in 1925 starring Ramon Novarro, and was readapted by MGM again in 2016.
What did critics think of Ben-Hur (1959)?
The film received strong contemporaneous reviews and is preserved in the United States National Film Registry. It currently holds an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 90 out of 100 score on Metacritic. Critics universally praise the production scale, Miklos Rozsa's score, and the chariot-race sequence.
Was Ben-Hur (1959) profitable?
Yes. The worldwide gross of $146,900,000 against the $15,175,000 budget produced one of the highest-ROI theatrical results in Hollywood history. The film rescued MGM from near-bankruptcy and remained the studio's defining title until Doctor Zhivago (1965).
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