Ben-Hur (2016 film) and lasted about five months, finishing in June 2015. "Ben-Hur" premiered on August 9, 2016 in Mexico City and was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on August 19, 2016 in the United States in 2D, 3D, RealD 3D, Digital 3D, and IMAX 3D. The film received generally negative reviews and was a box office bomb, grossing $94.1 million worldwide against its $100 million production budget plus a large amount spent on marketing and distribution. A Jewish nobleman, Judah Ben-Hur, and his adopted Roman brother Messala are best friends despite their different origins. Messala enlists in the Roman army
Ben-Hur (play) Wallace's novel. The character of Ben-Hur was initially cast with Walker Whiteside, but he was replaced by Edward J. Morgan at the last minute. William Farnum replaced Morgan after the show's first season. William S. Hart played Messala. Hart would go on to leading roles in silent films such as "The Aryan" (1916), and became a silent screen cowboy hero. Farnum also appeared in several films, including "The Spoilers" (1914). The character of Christ was "represented as a 25,000-candlepower beam of light" and not portrayed by an actor. The resulting production of "Ben-Hur" opened at the Broadway Theater in New