Ben-Hur (1959 film) the box office), generating approximately $74.7 million in box office sales. Outside of North America, it earned $32.5 million in rentals (about $72.2 million at the box office) for a worldwide total of $66.1 million in rental earnings, roughly equivalent to $146.9 million in box office receipts. It was the fastest-grossing film as well as the highest-grossing film of 1959, in the process becoming the second-highest-grossing film of all-time (at that time) behind "Gone with the Wind". "Ben-Hur" saved MGM from financial disaster, making a profit of $20,409,000 on its initial release, and another $10.1 million in profits when re-released
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"