Beloved actor Val Kilmer has sent a wave of nostalgia across cyberspace by sharing a behind-the-scenes video in celebration of the 30th anniversary of his Western movie, Tombstone. Led by Kurt Russell, and featuring an ensemble cast including Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton and Charlton Heston, the movie was loosely based on the story of Wyatt Earp, who comes out of retirement to bring order back to the lawlessness of his town.
In the 1993 movie, Kilmer played Doc Holliday, and many fans believe that he was robbed of an Oscar for his performance. However, as the 30th anniversary arrived, Kilmer seemed more than happy to just celebrate Tombstone’s milestone anniversary, which took place on December 25. Check out Kilmer’s post below.
Tombstone was a huge box office success at the time of its release, taking over $73 million on the back of a $25 million budget. Opening in third place in the Christmas chart at the U.S. box office behind the Julia Roberts movie The Pelican Brief and Robin Williams’ hit Mrs Doubtfire, Tombstone went on to see an increase in revenue on its second weekend, and became the 20th highest grossing movie of 1993.
When it comes to Val Kilmer’s performance as Doc Holliday, he was singled out as “the definitive saloon cowboy of our time,” by Roger Ebert, who almost did not review the movie at all due to not being able to get a screening of it. However, Ebert began to hear so much about Kilmer’s performance that he went out of his way to see Tombstone and review it, giving it his seal of approval.
Val Kilmer’s Popularity Has Not Diminished
While some actors find their popularity waning years after they hit their peak, Val Kilmer is not one of them. As the star of movies such as Willow, Batman Forever, The Doors and Heat, Kilmer’s range of cinematic ventures has endeared him to audiences for decades across many genres.
In recent years, despite Kilmer’s near-decade long batter with throat cancer, the actor has continued to be a presence in some nostalgic legacy sequels. While the 2021 documentary Val, which charted the actor’s career and subsequent health issues, delivered a personal insight into the man himself, in 2022 he reprised his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun: Maverick alongside his Top Gun costar, Tom Cruise. His return to screens, in a role that incorporated his health struggles in a way that choked up many fans, was seen as the high point of the sequel, and one that certainly helped push the movie to its soaring peak at the 2022 box office.
Kilmer also made an appearance through archival footage in the Disney+ sequel series to Willow. The Warwick Davis-led show also allowed Kilmer’s character of Madmartigan to speak, by using the actor’s son Jack to provide new dialogue in two episodes. Although the reception to the series was not strong enough to prompt Disney into renewing it for a second season, and the first season was subsequently removed from the platform to outrage from fans, for those who did watch and enjoy the series, Kilmer’s presence was just another chance to celebrate the actor.
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