1980 Western Ranked One of the ‘Greatest American Films' Despite Being a Box Office Flop
The 1980 Western Heaven's Gate is now considered one of the greatest American films, despite being a box-office failure that was pulled, reedited, and re-released.
Despite being a box office flop, the BBC has named Heaven's Gate as one of "the top 100 greatest American films." It ranks number 98 on the list.
Directed by Michael Cimino, Heaven's Gate stars Kris Kristofferson as James Averill, a recent Harvard graduate and sheriff of Jackson County, Wyoming. A conflict breaks out between poor immigrants and wealthy cattle farmers. With Christopher Walken as mercenary Nathan Champion, the wealthy ranchers fight the immigrants. Averill and Champion are both fighting for the heart of Ellen Watson, played by Isabelle Huppert. Champion dies after shooting a man to save Watson, and later Watson is killed in an ambush by Sam Waterston's character, Frank Canton.
Production on the film was strenuous since Cimino was a rigid perfectionist. He had won an Oscar for the critically acclaimed film The Deer Hunter, but Heaven's Gate did not compare. He demanded multiple takes of each scene and shot over 1 million feet of film, which caused production to fall behind schedule and go over budget by 400%.
The cut that Cimino produced was initially five hours long, so the studio forced him to edit the film down significantly. By the time it was released, the film was three hours and 39 minutes long. The studio, United Artists, spent millions on marketing, then ultimately pulled the film from theaters and re-released it half a year later, extremely edited down once again. The film ultimately grossed $3.5 million domestically and failed to break even against its $44 million budget.
Critics trashed the film and Cimino in the press, and it was put on multiple "worst ever" lists. Yet the BBC included it among the greatest American films, noting that, despite its mistakes, Heaven's Gate was ahead of its time. "Heaven's Gate was to be a work of art: a monumental American saga encompassing roller-skating and baseball, a graduation waltz at Harvard, and a steamboat puffing through Newport. At its heart would be a tragic love triangle between Kristofferson's noble marshal, the Association's ruthless sharp-shooter, and the bordello madam they both adore," the publication said.
Cimino's mismanagement of Heaven's Gate is often blamed for United Artists' sale and the end of the era of "New Hollywood." He only directed a handful of films following Heaven's Gate, including The Sunchaser starring Woody Harrelson.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 27, 2026 at 7:10 PM.