Despite the popularity of the genre ofWestern, not all its movies have succeeded, but one, in particular, stands out for being one of the most expensive Westerns ever and a huge critical and commercial failure. The Western genre is home to many classics, both in film and TV. On the big screen, the Western genre began in the 1890s with short single-reel silents, with the earliest known Western narrative movie beingKidnapping by Indians, in 1899. Since then, the Western genre has evolved a lot, even mixing with other genres, and it continues to be quite popular.
The Western genre has seen various classics, such asThe Great Train Robbery,The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,True Grit, andDances with Wolves. However, like any other genre,the branch of Western has also been witness to some big failures, either due to their stories, performances, behind-the-scenes issues, or other controversies. Among them is Disney’sThe Lone Ranger, which is not only a huge critical and box office failure, but also one of the most expensive Westerns ever made.
The Lone Ranger Couldn’t Make Up For Its Huge Budget
The Lone Ranger is a fictional former Texas ranger who fought outlaws in the Old American West. The character was created by George W. Trendle and Frank Striker and made his first appearance on a radio show in 1933. The Lone Ranger was accompanied by Tonto, his Native American friend, and they got their own TV show in 1949.The Lone Ranger is one of the most popular characters in Western, and in 2013, it got a new film adaptation under Disney’s wing.
Despite facing budgetary issues which almost led to the project’s cancelation,The Lone Rangerended up being one of the most expensive Westerns ever made.
Directed by Gore Verbinski,The Lone Rangertells the story of John Reid(Armie Hammer), the title ranger, and Tonto (Johnny Depp), as they team up to take down Cavendish (William Fichtner), a ruthless and cannibalistic outlaw. Tonto serves as the narrator, as he tells the story through his memories. Despite facing budgetary issues which almost led to the project’s cancelation,The Lone Rangerended up being one of the most expensive Westerns ever made with a budget of $250 million.
The Lone Rangergrossed $260.5 million, becoming one of the biggest box office bombs of all time.
However,The Lone Rangeralso became a major box office flop.The Lone Rangergrossed $260.5 million, becoming one of the biggest box office bombs of all time.The Lone Rangeralso joined the list of high-concept western films that bombed at the box office, such as 1999’sWild Wild WestandCowboys & Aliensin 2011.Disney lost $160-190 million withThe Lone Ranger, which now lives in infamy not just for its budget and box office numbers, but for a couple of controversies.
What Went Wrong With Disney’s The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger’s Legacy Isn’t Good
The Lone Rangerfaced controversy during pre-production due to its decision to cast Johnny Depp as Tonto. There were understandable concerns about Depp andThe Lone Rangeraccurately representing the Comanche, though Depp shared he saw his casting as an opportunity to “right the wrongs of the past”, referring to how Native American culture is portrayed in the media (Total Film, viaIndian Country). That alone was enough for many people to choose not to watchThe Lone Ranger, but the movie just couldn’t win the critics over.
Other critics feltThe Lone Rangernever truly became a Western and was more like a combination of characters mocking the genre.
The Lone Ranger’s story was boring, made worse by its over two-hour length. Many critics didn’t find the action inThe Lone Rangerexciting at all and felt it was more comical than probably intended. Other critics feltThe Lone Rangernever truly became a Western and was more like a combination of characters mocking the genre.The Lone Rangerhas a 31% critics score onRotten Tomatoes, which, along with its box office failure and behind-the-scenes rumors and issues, made it one of the most forgettableWesterns.
