Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925 film) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925 film) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a 1925 American silent epic adventure-drama film directed by Fred Niblo and written by June Mathis based on the 1880 novel "" by General Lew Wallace. Starring Ramon Novarro as the title character, the film is the first feature-length adaptation of the novel and second overall, following the 1907 short. In 1997, "Ben-Hur" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Ben-Hur is a wealthy young Jewish prince and boyhood
Box-office bomb viewers. According to co-star Leo Grillo, it sold six tickets, two of which were to cast members. Previously, the British film "Offending Angels" had become notorious for taking in less than £100 (~$150) at the box office. It had a £70,000 (~$105,000) budget but was panned by critics including the BBC, who called it a "truly awful pile of garbage", and "Total Film", who called it "irredeemable". In 2011, the film "The Worst Movie Ever!" opened to just $11 at the US box office. It played in only one theater. Box-office bomb In the motion picture industry, a "box-office bomb"