Roma Downey Feeling 'Empty' After 'Ben-Hur' Ranks No. 6 at Box Office
After the highly-anticipated remake of "Ben-Hur" fell behind the top-five earners at the box office last weekend, actress Roma Downey, one of the film's producers, said she felt drained and was seeking God for support amid the disappointment.
"Fill me up Lord, I am on empty!" Downey wrote on Facebook Monday night along with the the hashtags "give me strength, praying, more of you less of me, and I love you Lord."
"Ben-Hur" was executive produced by Mark Burnett and Downey, who often refer to themselves as "the noisiest Christians in Hollywood." While it's not clear if the film's modest opening is the cause of Downey's feelings of emptiness, it's no secret that she and her husband put their hearts and souls into "Ben-Hur" and sharing its message of forgiveness.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Downey and Burnett documented the week leading up to the film's release on their Instagram accounts, showing the dynamic duo being interviewed by the media and attending premieres across the U.S.
"It's been a loooooooong few weeks," Downey said in one of her many posts. In another, she added, "That's it folks, now it's in Gods hands. We did all we could do to launch 'Ben-Hur.' We fought the good fight, we finished the race, we kept the faith."
Despite their effort to have a hit at the box office, "Ben-Hur" came it at No. 6 during its opening weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.
On Sunday, Paramount announced that the remake of the 1959 classic had opened at No. 5, bringing in $11.35 million. But after the final numbers came in it was revealed that the epic actually made $11.2 million. "Pete's Dragon" knocked it out of the top-five position.
According to the box office number, the $100 million film has a long way to go before it will earn back what was put into it.
"Ben-Hur" also debuted in 23 international markets last weekend and brought in an estimated $10.7 million. The film took the No.1 spot in Mexico with $2.8 million, and finished No. 2 in Brazil with $2.5 million. Additionally, the film earned $817,000 in Venezuela and $598,000 in the Philippines.
Opening weekend demographics, according to Box Office Mojo, was 51 percent female and 49 percent male, with 94 percent of the audience being older than 25.
The film will soon be released in Australia, Argentina and the Netherlands. In early 2017, it will also be released in Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Russia, the U.K., Korea, Italy and Japan.
"Ben-Hur" is the epic story of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a prince falsely accused of treason by his own adopted brother Messala (Toby Kebbell), who is a Roman army officer. Ben-Hur was forcefully removed from his position and separated from his family and the woman he loves, Esther (Nazanin Boniadi), to spend his life in exile as a slave on a Roman ship.
After being condemned to a life as a slave at sea for five years, a shipwreck results in his eventual freedom. Ben-Hur then meets a wealthy man named Ilderim (Morgan Freeman), who becomes his mentor. He tells Ben-Hur to take revenge against his brother through a chariot race instead of killing him. He then prepares him for the deadly monumental race. The overarching theme of the film, however, is forgiveness, as throughout his journey Ben-Hur encounters Jesus and is changed by His example.
For more information about the flim, click here.
