Why did Intolerance fail at the box office despite its technical achievements?

Despite its technical brilliance and status as a landmark of silent film, D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1916) failed at the box office primarily because its narrative structure was too complex for contemporary audiences to grasp.123

While the film featured monumental sets and impressive battle sequences, Griffith’s decision to interweave four distinct historical stories—the fall of Babylon, the Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day, the Crucifixion of Jesus, and a contemporary tale of injustice—created an editing style that was considered too abstract for viewers at the time.123

The film's weak commercial reception left Griffith disillusioned, and he eventually withdrew it from distribution after 22 weeks to mitigate his financial losses. Although it struggled in the United States, the film was later lauded by international filmmakers, particularly in the Soviet Union, for its profound influence on cinematic technique.123