While The Quick and the Dead has been reappraised as a modern classic today, it was regarded as a failure in 1995. While not a complete bomb at the box office, it underperformed, earning $47 million on a $35 million budget. It was also a critical failure at the time, with many critics writing it off as a schlocky imitation of Spaghetti Westerns.
However, as years have passed, fans have rediscovered the movie, and it has gained both a devoted fanbase and won many critics over. Much like Raimi’s work in horror, it became a huge success on the home video market largely due to rentals and gained a cult following as an all-time great modern western. Later critics also pointed to its female protagonist, stylized violence, and death game premise as elements that were ahead of their time.