Ben-Hur a Big, Expensive Box Office Flop

Suicide Squad holds strong in first place.

By Alex Osborn

Ben-Hur had an underwhelming debut at the North American box office, earning just $11.4 million during its opening weekend.

Timur Bekmambetov's film adaptation of Lew Wallace's classic novel boasted a production budget of close to $100 million. As such, Ben-Hur will prove to be a costly endeavor for MGM and Paramount Pictures. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, the film, which placed fifth at the domestic box office, made $10.7 million internationally, bringing its current global total to $22 million.

Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore spoke to the film's performance, saying, "This has definitely been a rough summer for remakes and sequels."

This weekend also brought with it the release of War Dogs from Hangover director Todd Phillips. Warner Bros.' comedy-drama, starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller, earned $14.3 million and placed third at the box office, right behind Suicide Squad and Sausage Party. Director David Ayer's DC comic book film held first place for the third week in a row, while Sony's R-rated animated comedy was second with $15.3 million

Kubo and the Two Strings, the new stop-motion fantasy film from director Travis Knight, also opened this weekend, placing fourth with $12.6 million.

Here are the weekend's top 10 North American box office estimates via comScore:

1. Suicide Squad $20.7 million

2. Sausage Party $15.3 million

3. War Dogs $14.3 million

4. Kubo and the Two Strings $12.6 million

5. Ben-Hur $11.4 million

6. Pete's Dragon $11.3 million

7. Bad Moms $8.1 million

8. Jason Bourne $8 million

9. The Secret Life of Pets $5.8 million

10. Florence Foster Jenkins $4.3 million

Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and subscribe to his video content on YouTube.

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