One of the 1990s best Westerns, Tombstone, has would-be viewers wondering where they can watch the movie. In the age of streaming, cinematic classics should be readily available, but the 1993 film by blockbuster action director George P. Cosmatos (Massacre in Rome) isn’t easy to access. Set in the Arizona of the 1880s, Tombstone sees stars Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer playing famous Wild West lawmen Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, respectively. In addition to chronicling the duo’s exploits, Tombstone features rough-riding cowboy outlaws, like William “Curly Bill” Brocius (Powers Boothe) and the notorious Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn).
Packed with actors you forgot appeared in Tombstone, the film offers a different take on Western heroes. When it picks up with Russell’s Wyatt Earp, he’s well into in retirement. After the peace officer reunites with Doc Holliday — and his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliot) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) — Earp and his cohorts have a run-in with Curly Bill’s Cochise County Cowboys. Despite being grafted onto the genre’s typical framework, Tombstone is a fresh, stylish take on a Western. While it’s rife with saloon debauchery and gunfights, it also bucks historical accuracy in favor of more modern sensibilities, making Tombstone a singular Western that’s more than worth the watch.
Tombstone Is Not Currently Streaming On Popular Platforms
Viewers who are looking to see the beautiful vistas of where Tombstone was filmed or the movie’s take on the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, might be fresh out of luck. Although the Buena Vista Pictures-distributed film used to stream on Paramount+, it’s no longer available on the platform. In fact, even though Buena Vista is a Disney-owned film distribution studio, Tombstone isn’t streaming in the United States on Hulu or Disney+. It’s no secret that film rights constantly trade hands; the streaming age is marked by multi-year exclusivity deals, which means one network’s original content could turn up on a competitor platform with little warning.
Given how challenging it is for networks and studios to make money off of subscription-based service models, rights deals can be a great monetary supplement. Of course, that doesn’t explain Tombstone’s disappearance from subscription-based and free-to-stream platforms, but it does indicate that the 1993 classic could turn up on anything from Hulu to Netflix in the near future. For now, only viewers with access to DirecTV and Pluto TV’s free ad-supported streaming television services can check out the Western — and Doc Holliday’s best Tombstone one-liners — without paying anything additional.
Tombstone Is Available To Rent & Buy: Platforms & Cost Breakdown
For viewers who aren’t interested in waiting for the real gunslingers of Tombstone to appear on a popular streaming platform, there’s always the option of renting or buying the movie. Since Tombstone has been out for three decades, pricing options are relatively low compared to those of new releases. AMC Theaters On Demand offers most cost-effective option, with the platform boasting an HD version of Tombstone for purchase for just $4.99. Comparatively, most other platforms allow viewers to rent Tombstone for a day or two for $3.99, while purchase options climb to nearly $20 for the 1993 Western. The movie’s current rental and purchase options are as follows:
- Apple TV Store — $3.99 rental (HD); $17.99 purchase (HD).
- Prime Video/Amazon Store — $3.99 rental (HD); $17.99 purchase (HD).
- Google Play Store — $3.99 rental (HD); $17.99 purchase (HD).
- YouTube TV — $3.99 rental (HD); $17.99 purchase (HD).
- Vudu by Fandango — $3.99 rental (HD); $17.99 purchase (HD).
- Microsoft Store — $3.99 rental (HD); $17.99 purchase (HD).
- DirecTV — $3.99 rental (HD); $17.99 purchase (HD).
- Spectrum — $3.99 rental (HD).
- AMC Theaters On Demand — $4.99 purchase (HD).