[post_page_title]It’s a hit![/post_page_title]
In 1956, The Ten Commandments was the highest grossing movie of the year, bringing in impressive box office numbers. It was also the second most successful movie of the whole decade, beat only by the film Ben-Hur in 1959, which coincidentally also starred Charlton Heston.
The Guinness Book of World Records agrees, and has it listed as one of the most successful movies of all time, when adjusted for inflation. It has only been beat by movies such as The Sound of Music, Gone With the Wind, Avatar, Titanic, Star Wars, and E.T.
[post_page_title]Becoming a holiday “classic”[/post_page_title]
DeMille’s movie ended up resonating with religious groups across the board. In 1973, television executives decided to capitalize on its connection to the spring holidays of Passover and Easter, and began airing it every year to coincide with the Easter holiday.
The one year it didn’t air in 1999, executives at ABC reportedly received a massive flood of irate calls from viewers wanting to know why they didn’t play the movie. Since then, it continues to air every year without fail.
