Ben-Hur (1959 film) New York City on November 18, 1959. Present at the premiere were William Wyler, Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Martha Scott, Ramon Novarro (who played Judah Ben-Hur in the 1925 silent film version), Spyros Skouras (president of the 20th Century Fox), Barney Balaban (president of Paramount Pictures), Jack L. Warner (president of Warner Bros.), Leonard Goldenson (president of the American Broadcasting Company), Moss Hart (playwright), Robert Kintner (an ABC Television executive), Sidney Kingsley (playwright), and Adolph Zukor (founder of Paramount Pictures). During its initial release the film earned $33.6 million in North American theater rentals (the distributor's share of
Saw (2003 film) creation of "Saw", a film that was intended to be a direct-to-DVD release that was later released into theaters worldwide after it received a positive reaction at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2004. The film retained the scene from the short, which was reshot with different actors. Leigh Whannell would also return to star in the full-length film, and in "Saw III". After the release of the full-length "Saw", the film was met with overwhelming success in the box office both domestically and internationally. The film ended up grossing in America, and in other countries, totaling over worldwide. This