Ben-Hur (1959 film) scope and grand spectacle, "Ben-Hur" still ranks among Hollywood's finest examples of pure entertainment." "Ben-Hur" was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won an unprecedented 11. , only "Titanic" in 1998 and "" in 2004 have matched the film's wins. The lone category where "Ben-Hur" did not win was for Best Adapted Screenplay (losing to "Room at the Top"), and most observers attributed this to the controversy over the writing credit. MGM and Panavision shared a special technical Oscar in March 1960 for developing the Camera 65 photographic process. "Ben-Hur" also won three Golden Globe Awards – Best Motion Picture
Ben-Hur (2016 film) of marketing, were potential causes for the film's underperformance. According to "Variety", the film was unable to expand beyond its core Christian audience. It performed well in areas of the US that are more religious, but did not do as well in more secular regions of the country. As a result of its poor opening, "Ben-Hur" joined various other films set in ancient times to underperform at the box office, especially recent big-budget movies from major studios – "" (2014), "The Legend of Hercules" (2014), and "Gods of Egypt" (2016). "Ben-Hur" depended heavily on foreign markets, especially in Christian offshore