The Western genre has found new life on television, thanks to creators like Taylor Sheridan, but the big screen remains a tougher frontier. The latest proof? Angel and the Badman, a remake of the 1947 John Wayne classic, has seen its theatrical run collapse in spectacular fashion.
According to box office data, the film—which stars Neal McDonough (Tulsa King), Zachary Levi, and Tommy Lee Jones—has been yanked from over 2,000 screens. After opening in 2,263 locations on October 9, it dropped to just 104 theaters by its third weekend, a staggering 95.4% loss. The second weekend saw a 993-theater cut, followed by another 1,166 on October 23.
Directed by Julio Quintana, Angel and the Badman reimagines Wayne's tale of a wounded outlaw who finds unexpected redemption through the love of a rancher's daughter. Levi takes on the role of Quirt Evans, with Jones as Marshal McClintock and McDonough as Laredo. The story follows Evans as he grapples with his violent past and the possibility of a new life, but audiences haven't exactly flocked to see it.
The film's opening weekend grossed just $2.1 million domestically, averaging a meager $935 per theater. Its second weekend was even worse, bringing in only $433,220—a nearly 80% drop. By October 21, the movie had earned roughly $3.8 million total, and with only 104 screens left, its box office future looks bleak.
This isn't the first Western to struggle at the box office recently. Tom Cruise's Digger suffered an even bigger collapse, losing 3,100 theaters in a historic flop. And the spider horror Crawlers lost 89% of its theaters after a dismal debut. The trend suggests that while Westerns thrive on streaming and TV, theatrical audiences are harder to win over.
For fans of the genre, there's still hope on the small screen. Stephen King's Dark Tower Western hits Paramount+ this October, and Taylor Sheridan's gritty Westerns continue to dominate TV. But for Angel and the Badman, the theatrical chapter is all but closed.
The film is still playing in select theaters, but with such a limited release, it's unlikely to recover. Whether it finds a second life on streaming remains to be seen, but for now, this Western has been run out of town.
