33 Years Later, Kurt Russell & Val Kilmer’s Classic R-Rated Western Quietly Ropes American Streaming Resurgence At The Perfect Time

Russell can currently be seen alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in Taylor Sheridan’s epic show The Madison. Meanwhile, his action-packed 1993 Western Tombstone is having its own moment.

Tombstone may indeed have come out 33 years ago, but it’s still racking up views on streaming, coming in at #4 on AMC+’s top 10 US movies chart for March 24, 2026. To the surprise of no one, Russell’s The Madison is also putting up big numbers on streaming over on Paramount+, making now the perfect time for Tombstone to enjoy renewed popularity.

Co-starring Val Kilmer in an acclaimed performance as Doc Holliday, Tombstone stars Russell as legendary lawman Wyatt Earp. The ensemble film was helmed by George P. Cosmatos according to the credits, but Russell himself secretly directed much of the movie, which includes a re-telling of the infamous Gunfight at the OK Corral.

Critics were somewhat lukewarm on Tombstone when it released back in 1993, but its reputation has improved over the years, resulting in a mostly-positive 76% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences love the action-packed Western unreservedly, however, pushing it to a 93% Popcornmeter rating.

Despite the movie’s status as a classic Western, Russell has gone on record saying he believes Tombstone could have been even better, but for significant paring down of the script amid a director change and budgetary issues.

“I’ll never make peace with that,” Russell said in a recent interview, referring to his disappointment over how Tombstone turned out (via THR). “[The movie] could have been way better. It’s considered one of the great Westerns, right? It could have been considered one of the great movies.”

“The impact of Tombstone is very strong, and that’s nice,” Russell continued. “That’s great. But could it have been a lot better? Yes.”

ScreenRant’s own assessment of Tombstone in a 2025 article ranks it as one of the greatest Westerns of all-time, saying of the film, “Its hopeful view of the Old West and classical good versus evil narrative, which was already rare in 1993, has only gotten more uncommon as time has passed.”

It goes on to say, “Tombstone feels like the last classic Western, so it’s only natural that audiences have come to appreciate it even more over the years.”

It’s indeed fitting that the timeless Tombstone would climb the streaming charts at the same time Russell is enjoying a new success alongside Pfeiffer with the neo-Western The Madison.