Kurt Russell Was Worried About Tombstone’s Box Office, But His Wyatt Earp Movie Ended Up Making Way More Than The Other One

Kurt Russell was worried that Tombstone would get buried at the box office by the more expensive Wyatt Earp, but Tombstone ended up outgrossing its compeтιтor by a pretty huge margin. Since movie development can take years and years, it’s not uncommon for rival Hollywood studios to put two eerily similar films into production at the same time. The phenomenon is called “twin movies,” and it happened with Volcano and Dante’s Peak, Armageddon and Deep Impact, and No Strings Attached and Friends with Benefits.

One of the most famous examples is the rivalry between Tombstone and Wyatt Earp, two biopics of the notorious western lawman released six months apart. Although Wyatt Earp seemed to have everything going for it — a bigger budget, a more generous studio, and less behind-the-scenes drama — Tombstone won the battle by a mile. While Russell was worried Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp movie would defeat Tombstone at the box office, Tombstone ultimately did much better (and it stood the test of time better, too).

Kurt Russell Was Worried About Tombstone Competing With Wyatt Earp

Sam Elliott, On The Other Hand, Was Confident About Tombstone’s Chances Of Success

Both Tombstone and Wyatt Earp were in production at the same time. While Russell and co. were shooting Tombstone in Arizona, Costner and co. were shooting Wyatt Earp in New Mexico. Sam Elliott — who gives one of Tombstone’s best performances as Virgil Earp, brother to Russell’s Wyatt — has opened up about Russell’s fears surrounding the western biopic race (via Entertainment Weekly). While Elliott was never worried about the compeтιтion presented by Costner’s movie, he said that Russell spent the entire shoot “angst-ridden” about the impending box office battle between the two projects.

Elliott ᴀssured Russell that, while Costner’s movie had a lot more money behind it, “They haven’t got this f**king script, and they haven’t got this f**king cast.”

Russell was worried that Costner’s biopic would outgross his at the box office. There was no way that two separate Earp movies were going to be huge hits, so one would inevitably overshadow the other. But while Russell was concerned that Costner’s Wyatt Earp would be the one to overshadow his Tombstone, Elliott remained confident in their movie. Elliott ᴀssured Russell that, while Costner’s movie had a lot more money behind it, “They haven’t got this f**king script, and they haven’t got this f**king cast.” And Elliott turned out to be right; the best movie won.

Russell Didn’t Have To Worry, Tombstone Did Way Better Than Wyatt Earp

Tombstone Grossed More Than Twice As Much As Wyatt Earp


Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone

As it turned out, Russell didn’t have anything to worry about. Tombstone beat Wyatt Earp fair and square, both critically and commercially. While Tombstone was widely praised, Wyatt Earp was panned. And while Wyatt Earp bombed with a lifetime gross of $25 million, Tombstone grossed more than twice that with a worldwide total of $56 million. Tombstone benefited from having a budget that was two-and-a-half times smaller than the price-tag of Wyatt Earp. It also had the benefit of arriving first. Wyatt Earp was released six months after Tombstone, when audiences were all Earp’d out.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Related Posts

Rewatching Gladiator II, I Realized I Was Wrong About Russell Crowe

Rewatching Gladiator II, I Realized I Was Wrong About Russell Crowe

When Gladiator II was announced, Russell Crowe’s role was H๏τly debated, and it now seems like the sequel might have made the wrong choice. Crowe delivers one…

Chris Pratt’s New Sequel To 7 Million Success Is Another Win For Him After Casting Outrage

Chris Pratt’s New Sequel To $257 Million Success Is Another Win For Him After Casting Outrage

A sequel to 2024’s The Garfield Movie movie is officially happening, with the upcoming The Garfield Movie 2 being a major win for the actor after his…

Peter Jackson’s Next Movie Will Finally End A 16 Year Streak That Never Should’ve Started

Peter Jackson’s Next Movie Will Finally End A 16 Year Streak That Never Should’ve Started

Critically acclaimed director Peter Jackson has no intention of retiring, and his upcoming projects could finally bring a 16-year streak to an end. During a recent interview…

Daniela Forever Review: Creative Sci-Fi Romance Cautions Us About Dreams While Being Unbelievable

Daniela Forever Review: Creative Sci-Fi Romance Cautions Us About Dreams While Being Unbelievable

This review was originally published on September 12, 2024, as part of our Toronto International Film Festival coverage. If an experimental drug existed that would enable you…

James Gunn Retcons Superman’s Origin Story In A Major, Irreversible Way

James Gunn Retcons Superman’s Origin Story In A Major, Irreversible Way

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Superman. Superman makes a significant change to the тιтular hero’s origin story in a way that is irreversible and will likely…

Without Jason Statham, This  Million Action Movie Would Have Been A Total Disaster

Without Jason Statham, This $43 Million Action Movie Would Have Been A Total Disaster

Crank could have gone disastrously wrong if it hadn’t starred Mr Jason Statham. Now that Jason Statham action movies are a staple of any movie fan’s diet,…