“Kevin Costner Reflects on the Fierce Competition Between Wyatt Earp and Tombstone 30 Years Later”

Kevin Costner recently reflected on the decision to release his Western epic Wyatt Earp just six months after Tombstone, expressing regret over that choice. Following the success of his Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves, expectations were high for Costner’s 1994 project. Unfortunately, Wyatt Earp struggled at the box office, ultimately losing the competition to Tombstone and disappointing the star.

In a recent GQ interview marking thirty years since Wyatt Earp‘s underwhelming release, Costner voiced his regrets about the timing. He noted that the two films were perceived as rivals and mentioned that he ignored a friend’s suggestion to delay Wyatt Earp, which initiated what he described as a “space race.” In his own words:

“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 want to compete.’ And I said, ‘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. It was a fun movie, Tombstone, but it’s too bad it went the way it went.”

Despite the initial instinct to postpone, it’s worth noting that delaying the film may not have changed its fortunes. Tombstone, released in late 1993, was not only tighter and more engaging but also came in at a budget of $25 million, grossing $72.3 million. In contrast, Wyatt Earp, which premiered in the summer of 1994, had a budget of $63 million but only managed to gross $56 million.

While some might argue that releasing Wyatt Earp too soon after Tombstone was a misstep, the reality is that the film faced significant criticism regardless of its timing. With a mere 32% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics cited issues such as excessive length and a convoluted narrative. An extra year wouldn’t have resolved these inherent flaws or made the film more appealing. Ultimately, the strengths of Tombstone only highlighted the weaknesses of Wyatt Earp, which persisted regardless of when it was released.