Released on December 7, 1907, the film received positive reviews and comments in publications around the United States. The New York-based trade journal The Moving Picture World announced in its issue that day, "The Kalem Company this week put on the market the Roman spectacular subject, 'Ben Hur'.""Film Review", The Moving Picture World (TMPW), December 7, 1907, p. 651. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 11, 2020. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 16, 1908, the city's Gazette Times reported on the presentation of Ben Hur at a new local theater, a showing enhanced by actors on site who performed sound effects and spoke dialog generally synchronized with the footage projected on screen:
