Who doesn’t enjoy a good Western? Put a good-ol’ shoot-em-up in the iconic American frontier against a backdrop of saloons and cowboys, and you’ve usually got our attention. They have entertained audiences for decades as one of the oldest genres with some being about the lifestyle of casino. However, the Western genre has undoubtedly broadened over the years, becoming more than the stereotypical image of what it means to make a western film. So, what makes a great Western in your opinion?
While what constitutes a good movie may differ greatly from person to person, there are always those who perform better than others. Whether in the eyes of critics, audiences, or how well they perform at the box office. Box office results are a reliable way to determine how excited people were about a film or how little anticipation there was for it. It all depends on what’s on display. And with a Western, you never know what will happen especially when it comes to https://www.newzealandcasinos.io/real-money-casino/.
- ‘The Dark Tower’ (2017)
The Dark Tower, a six-year-old fantasy film by Nikolaj Arcel, is a mystical addition to the highest-grossing Western films. In the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King’s popular science fiction novel series of the same name, Idris Elba plays gunslinger Roland Deschain.
Despite its high expectations, the movie was ultimately a colossal flop. After the film flopped with audiences, critics, and fans of the novels, box office success couldn’t save it. The Dark Tower made just under double its $66 million budget, grossing a total of $113,461,527 worldwide.
- ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)
Famous faces abound in Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 smash hit. The story follows bounty hunters Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L Jackson) and John “The Hangman” Ruth (Kurt Russell) among eight hateful strangers seeking shelter during a blizzard in the dead of winter in 1877 Wyoming.
Tarantino’s second Western and eighth films received critical acclaim and box office success upon its initial release. A 7.8/10 on IMDb and a Tomatometer score of 74% attest to its popularity among viewers. And, with a worldwide total of $151,813,358 on a largely estimated budget of $44-$62 million, it held its own at the box office and came out strong as the 9th highest-grossing Western of all time.
- ‘Unforgiven’ (1992)
Nothing could possibly go wrong with one more job, right? What might happen? But when is anything ever that easy? Clint Eastwood produces, directs, and stars in this 1992 drama about retired gunslinger outlaw William Munny, an unwilling man who insists this is his last job. An R-rated tale with a western kick? It’s unquestionably a must-see.
Unforgiven received dozens of award nominations, including nine Oscars, winning four of them, including Best Actor for Eastwood and Best Picture, making it only the third Western to do so. It won the most awards and received widespread critical acclaim as well as commercial and box office success. The now-classic film made $159,157,447 on a budget of only $14.4 million.
- ‘Legends of the Fall’ (1994)
Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, Henry Thomas, Julia Ormand, and Aiden Quinn star in the 1994 war and Western drama Legends of the Fall. Its plot, which features betrayal, heartbreak, and more, focuses on three brothers and their father living in rural Montana in the early 1900s, but it spans decades, from World War I to the 1960s.
The film grossed $160,502,573 worldwide on a $30 million budget, making it a major box-office success. In addition to its box office success, it was well-received and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography, which it rightfully won.
