Kevin Costner Looks Back: Regrets & Rivalry with Tombstone 30 Years After Wyatt Earp

Kevin Costner Reflects on Regrettable Timing of Wyatt Earp Release Amid Tombstone Rivalry

Kevin Costner recently opened up about one of the more disappointing chapters in his film career: the box office failure of Wyatt Earp. In a new interview marking the film’s 30th anniversary, Costner admitted he regrets the decision to release his Western epic just six months after Tombstone, a competing film covering the same historical figure.

Following the success of his Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves, Costner had established himself as a major force in the Western genre. Expectations were high for Wyatt Earp, directed by Lawrence Kasdan and released in the summer of 1994. However, with Tombstone — starring Kurt Russell — hitting theaters in late 1993 and becoming a commercial and critical hit, Costner’s film struggled to find an audience.

In the interview, Costner expressed regret over ignoring a friend’s advice to delay the release of Wyatt Earp to avoid direct comparison:

“I love Wyatt, or I just love that movie. We got into a level of competition with Tombstone. A good friend said, ‘Look, we can postpone this movie. We don’t wanna compete.’ And I said, ‘Look, I’m sure this writer, director wants to make this movie, let them.’ And then this kind of space race started. I always regretted that there was this kind of weird competition. Tombstone was a fun movie, but it’s too bad it went the way it went.”

Despite Costner’s regret, it’s unlikely that postponing the release would have saved Wyatt Earp from underperforming. Compared to Tombstone, which had a leaner story, a lower budget, and more energetic pacing, Wyatt Earp was criticized for being overly long and lacking focus. The film cost a hefty $63 million to make and earned only $56 million at the box office. Meanwhile, Tombstone earned $72.3 million on a $25 million budget.

Critics were also unkind to Wyatt Earp, which holds a 32% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Many reviews called it bloated and self-indulgent, and simply not as compelling as its rival. Even if it had been released a year later, the film’s structural and pacing issues would likely have remained, and its steep production costs would still have made profitability difficult.

Moreover, by 1994, Costner’s star power was beginning to fade. The momentum he gained from Dances With Wolves was diminishing, and audiences seemed less drawn to his projects.

While Costner may be right that the timing of the release hurt Wyatt Earp, the truth is that the film’s problems ran deeper. The movie’s lackluster reception, high budget, and unfortunate comparison to the much-loved Tombstone likely doomed it from the start — regardless of when it hit theaters.