32nd Academy Awards 32nd Academy Awards The 32nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was held on April 4, 1960 and took place at the RKO Pantages Theatre to honor the best films of 1959. The epic drama "Ben-Hur" won 11 Oscars, breaking the record of nine set the year before by "Gigi". "Ben-Hur" remained the most honored motion picture in Academy Award history until "Titanic" equaled the feat in 1997, followed by "" in 2003. "Ben-Hur" was the third film to win both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, a feat not repeated until "Mystic River"
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