Fifteen years after its release, Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens is about to lose its streaming home on Peacock. The 2011 sci-fi western, which paired Daniel Craig with Harrison Ford in a genre mashup that promised more than it delivered, will be removed from the platform on June 1, 2026. For those who missed it—or dismissed it—this is your last chance to stream one of the most infamous box-office disappointments of the 2010s.
Based on the comic book series of the same name, Cowboys & Aliens follows an amnesiac gunslinger (Craig), a grizzled cattle baron (Ford), and a mysterious woman (Olivia Wilde) who unite to defend a small town from an alien invasion in the 1870s. The cast also includes Sam Rockwell and Paul Dano, but even that star power couldn't save the film from its jarring tonal shifts and muddled execution. It holds a 44% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics noting that Craig and Ford are "dependably appealing" but let down by Favreau's inability to balance the western and sci-fi elements.
Financially, the film grossed under $175 million worldwide against a reported budget of nearly $165 million—a far cry from the blockbuster success Favreau had enjoyed with Iron Man and Iron Man 2. At the time, it was seen as a major misstep for the director, who had just helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yet, in the years since, Cowboys & Aliens has been largely swept under the rug, overshadowed by bigger flops like John Carter and The Lone Ranger. But for fans of genre-bending experiments, it remains a fascinating oddity.
Favreau eventually got his wish to play in the Star Wars sandbox with The Mandalorian, and he's now preparing for the franchise's first theatrical release in seven years, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Meanwhile, Craig moved on to a critically acclaimed run as James Bond and recently starred in Knives Out and its sequels. But Cowboys & Aliens remains a curious footnote in both their careers—a film that tried to merge two beloved genres but ended up pleasing neither.
If you're in the mood for a truly unique western, you might also check out Rediscovering John Ford's Forgotten Western Masterpiece 'Wagon Master' for a classic take on the genre. Or, for something more modern, Kevin Costner's 'Horizon Chapter 2' Heads to Prime Video: What's Next for the Western Saga? offers a sprawling new vision of the Old West.
So, saddle up and stream Cowboys & Aliens on Peacock before June 1. It may not be a masterpiece, but it's a wild ride that deserves a second look—if only to see what happens when two icons of cinema collide with aliens in the Wild West.
