On This Day

Ben-Hur released

November 18th 1959

08:12 18 November 2025

The premiere of 'Ben-Hur' took place at Loew’s State Theatre in New York City on this day in 1959. Among those in attendance were director William Wyler and stars Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd and Haya Haraeet.

It followed a $14.7 million marketing campaign by MGM to promote the movie. ‘Ben-Hur’ opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews and went on to earn nearly $150 million in box office sales worldwide as well as winning an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards from 12 nominations.