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Current Westerns, such as "A Million Ways to Die in the West" and "The Lone Ranger," haven't done as well in the box office as superhero movies, and they've received cool reviews from the critics. The time for the American Western might be over. 

However, writers Noel Murray and Jim Hemphill are Western nerds and believe the genre can be revived. They join The Daily Circuit to talk about current and classic Western movies. 

A Million Ways To Die In The West Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Seth MacFarlane Movie HD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrPWfqVuISM 


The Western began declining in popularity in the '60s, right around the time a wave of exciting young directors began deconstructing the genre with spare films full of graphic violence and existentialist cool. Prior to the '60s, though? Glut city. In the '50s in particular, Westerns dominated the box office and the release calendar, which sets up one significant roadblock to getting into the decade's classic Westerns: there's just so darn many of them. (AV Club)

Jim Hemphill Talks Hollywood's Prejudice Against the Western


When I read that A Million Ways to Die in the West was underperforming at the box office, my heart sank. Not because I liked the film (though I did), but because I knew its failure was one more weapon in the arsenal of those who insist on proclaiming the Western genre extinct. Even before the movie opened, I was convinced of one thing: if it was successful, it would only be thought of as a comedy, but if it flopped, people would point to its status as a Western as a key reason for its downfall. (The Talkhouse)

Arts and Culture

To kick off Western week on The Daily Circuit, we look at the future of Western films.

Could the Western movie genre be revived?

Go Deeper.

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