Why 'Ben-Hur' couldn't win box office race against 'Suicide Squad'
The 2016 remake of the classic story 'Ben-Hur' wasn't a big draw for audiences this past weekend, with the new film opening in fifth place, below films such as the DC Comics movie 'Suicide Squad.'
The 2016 remake of the classic story 'Ben-Hur' wasn't a big draw for audiences this past weekend, with the new film opening in fifth place, below films such as the DC Comics movie 'Suicide Squad.'
The classic film 鈥淏en-Hur鈥� may be famous for its action-packed chariot race, but it couldn鈥檛 summon the same sense of excitement at the box office this past weekend, where the new movie struggled, opening in fifth place below holdovers like 鈥淪uicide Squad.鈥�
The DC Comics superhero film 鈥淪uicide Squad鈥� came in first place at the domestic box office for the third weekend in a row, grossing more than $20 million this past weekend. The animated comedy 鈥淪ausage Party,鈥� which originally opened on Aug. 12, came in second, taking in more than $15 million.聽
The new movie 鈥淲ar Dogs,鈥� which stars Miles Teller and Jonah Hill as arms dealers, came in third, grossing more than $14 million, while the new animated movie 鈥淜ubo and the Two Strings鈥� placed fourth, grossing more than $12 million.聽
鈥淏en-Hur鈥� ended up in fifth, taking in more than $11 million.
The 2016 remake of the famous 鈥淏en-Hur鈥� story, which stars Jack Huston and Toby Kebbell, is most likely familiar to audiences because of the classic 1959 film. What made moviegoers stay away from this new version of the story?聽
Hollywood Reporter writer Pamela McClintock writes that studios MGM and Paramount weren鈥檛 able to reach out to younger moviegoers who wouldn鈥檛 have been born when the 1959 film first came out. Ms. McClintock notes that 95 percent of those who went to see the movie were over 25.
鈥淵ounger moviegoers had virtually no interest in seeing 鈥楤en-Hur,鈥欌�� McClintock writes.聽
海角大神's Peter Rainer described the film as a "tepid 3-D extravaganza."聽
In addition, Variety writer Brent Lang writes that the problems 鈥淏en-Hur鈥� is having are the same difficulties that recent films set in ancient times have also faced.聽
鈥淭he toga genre has reached its expiration date,鈥� Mr. Lang writes.聽The 2000 movie 鈥淕ladiator鈥� won the Best Picture and became a box office hit, 鈥渂ut attempts to recreate the magic of the Colosseum have failed to connect with audiences 鈥� 鈥楰ingdom of Heaven,鈥� 鈥楨xodus: Gods & Kings,鈥� 鈥楪ods of Egypt,鈥� 鈥楴oah,鈥� 鈥楽eventh Son,鈥� and 鈥楾he Immortals鈥� are just a few of the historical action flicks or costumed fare that have landed with a thud or struggled to turn a profit 鈥� the likes of 鈥�300鈥� or 鈥楥lash of the Titans鈥� aren鈥檛 successful enough to paper over all that red ink,鈥� opines Lang.
And this can be an expensive genre to take a chance on. 鈥淩ecreating the Ancient World doesn鈥檛 come cheap,鈥� Lang writes. 鈥淢issing the mark can result in a big write-down.鈥�