Is the Time Ripe for Westerns?

There was a time when Westerns were at the forefront of cinema. The Golden Age of the Western in the 1940 and 1950s was epitomized by directors like John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Anthony Mann. Some of the most notable pictures from the time include My Darling Clementine, The Horse Soldiers, and Rio Bravo.

Yet, despite some directors trying to revive the classic Western over the years, the genre hasn’t found its way back into the mainstream and there have been few modern blockbusters set in the wild west. The themes have never really gone away, though, and the time could be ripe for Westerns to find a way to get back on top.

“…despite some directors trying to revive the classic Western over the years, the genre hasn’t found its way back into the mainstream.”

Quentin Tarantino has attempted to revive the Western in recent times with Django Unchained and the Hateful Eight. Both films received widespread critical acclaim, and the Jamie Foxx film was also a box office success with a worldwide gross of $425.4 million. The Kurt Russell led 2015 picture was by no means a major blockbuster, though, and only made $155.7 million across the globe. The Coen brothers are huge fans of the genre and have made a number of great movies set in the wild west. 2010’s True Grit is the directorial duo’s most successful film of all time, and the remake of the 1969 John Wayne film of the same name grossed $171 million, says BoxOfficeMojo.com. Despite these directors making their best efforts to revitalize the genre, there aren’t many other directors currently doing the same.

“The Coen brothers are huge fans of the genre and have made a number of great movies set in the wild west…”

There is arguably a huge audience right now ready and waiting for a blockbuster Western franchise. This is because the genre is making a comeback in other sections of the media. Games like Gunslinger Reloaded at Dunder are attracting players who miss seeing the sharpshooting outlaws on the big screen. According to CasinoWings.com, Dunder is one of the best online casinos out there. Players are drawn to the site because of quality games like this. Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 was released last year as well, and the game had the largest opening weekend in the history of entertainment, making $725 million in three days. The epic Western has quickly become regarded as one of the best games of all time.

“There is arguably a huge audience right now ready and waiting for a blockbuster Western franchise…”

In television there are a number of hit series which are attracting a lot of viewers. Godless and Westworld have been met with high critical acclaim, and are helping to rejuvenate the Western genre. According to Forbes.com, 1.56 million people tuned in to watch the season 2 finale of the HBO series, which ended on yet another enormous cliffhanger and left viewers wanting more.

Because Westerns are so prominent in other sections of mainstream media, and mainly thanks to the immense success of Red Dead Redemption, this could be an excellent time for a major film studio to bring out a big Western franchise. People are hungry for more action from the Wild West, and seeing it on the big screen is hard to beat.