Peacock Is Losing Liam Neeson’s Forgotten Western Comedy Box Office Flop Just Weeks After It Arrived

When you think of Liam Neeson, you probably think of the words, “I will find you, and I will kill you.” His role as Bryan Mills in 2008’s Taken transformed his career and launched him into a highly bankable action star, and he’s wrangled some impressive box office hauls in the nearly two decades since. But in between major films like Unknown and the recent success of The Naked Gun reboot, Neeson starred in a forgotten 2013 box office flop that is about to ride off of Peacock after only just arriving on the platform.

Peacock subscribers are running out of time to stream A Million Ways to Die in the West. The Seth MacFarlane-directed western comedy is already on the “leaving Peacock soon” list just weeks after it arrived on the NBCUniversal streamer on January 1st. The film, which underperformed at the box office with an $87 million worldwide haul against a $40 million budget, centers around a cowardly frontiersman who finds his courage and falls for a mysterious new woman while trying to survive the dangerous American West.

A Million Ways To Die in the West’s Family Guy-esque Style Fell Flat With Audiences

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A Million Ways to Die in the West wasn’t just a box office disappointment that failed to live up to high expectations for a comedy directed by MacFarlane, it also crashed in terms of critic and audience reception. The movie earned rotten critic and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes of 33% and 41%. Bowling Green Daily News’ Micheal Compton described it as “like watching a mediocre episode of Family Guy that is four times longer and much cruder,” and Cinema Crazed’s Felix Vasquez Jr. called it “a comedy that desperately wants to emulate Mel Brooks, but fails in every respect.”

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The film’s attempts to translate the rapid-fire, hit-or-miss, cutaway-style humor of Family Guy into a feature-length film resulted in something that ultimately became an underwhelming, crass experience rather than a sharp parody. Rather than a cohesive, narrative-driven film, A Million Ways to Die in the West felt more like a collection of disconnected sketches that relied too heavily on toilet humor and profanity, and critics and viewers agreed that the film long overstayed its near-two-hour runtime. That’s not to say that A Million Ways to Die in the West isn’t worth watching, and some viewers may even find it to be an unfairly rated film. If you’re a fan of MacFarlane’s brand of humor and spoof films and don’t take it too seriously, you’ll likely find some enjoyment and laughter in the movie.

Where to Stream A Million Ways to Die in the West After It Leaves Peacock?

Fans curious about A Million Ways to Die in the West or simply wanting to rewatch it will want to squeeze in a viewing while they still can. The movie isn’t available to stream on any other major platform outside of Peacock, meaning it may trot off of streaming altogether once it leaves the NBCUniversal streamer. The major streaming platforms have begun to drop their lineups for next month, but A Million Ways to Die in the West hasn’t made the cut on any of those lists just yet. As always, it’s possible that the film will reappear on streaming in the coming months as the streaming landscape is constantly shifting.

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