Like the cowboy himself, the Western was hurt by modernization. As special-effects technology exploded in the ’70s and ’80s, movies became more visual and less character-driven, and Westerns lost their lucrative teen audience. The movie business also became increasingly global. Today big-budget movies often make more money in foreign countries than they do stateside, and the all-American Western doesn’t always translate. “In general, they’re not one of the top players in the international markets at all,” says Dick Cook, chairman of Disney Studios, which released “Hidalgo” and Kevin Costner’s “Open Range” last year. “But for every rule there’s an exception. If it’s a hit here, it tends to do well overseas.” Problem is, there are so few hits. After flops like “All the Pretty Horses,” “Bad Girls” and “American Outlaws,” it’s no wonder studios are a little gun-shy. But, says Cook, “if a story is compelling enough, there’s nothing that says a Western can’t be a giant hit.” Costner’s “Dances With Wolves” grossed more than $400 million worldwide in 1990, and won the Oscar for best picture. The genre may be down, in other words, but it’s not out. Disney will release “The Alamo” next month, and Sony is remaking the 1957 stagecoach classic “3:10 to Yuma.” Will audiences get back in the saddle?
