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 competitor 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 competition 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 assured 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 assured 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

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