In the summer of 1999, Will Smith was riding high as the biggest movie star of the decade. He had just saved the world in Independence Day, battled aliens in Men in Black, and was about to make a career-defining choice. He passed on The Matrix to star in a big-budget sci-fi western called Wild Wild West. The result? A legendary box-office bomb that critics savaged and audiences mostly ignored. Now, nearly three decades later, that colossal flop is riding onto free streaming on Tubi in July 2026.
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who had helmed Smith's hit Men in Black, Wild Wild West cost a reported $170 million to produce—more than the original Star Wars trilogy combined, adjusted for inflation. It grossed just $220 million worldwide, making it one of the most expensive failures of the 1990s. The film holds a dismal 16% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus calling it a "bombastic, manic, and largely laugh-free" misfire that prioritized special effects over story.
The cast was stacked: Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek, and Kenneth Branagh joined Smith in this steampunk reimagining of the 1960s TV series. But the script, written by three pairs of writers, was a mess. The film's giant mechanical spider—a centerpiece of the marketing—became a symbol of its excess. Warner Bros. spent millions on promotion, but the movie opened to poor reviews and never recovered.
Smith later admitted he regretted passing on The Matrix, which went on to become a cultural phenomenon and a $460 million global hit. In a YouTube video, he explained that if he had taken the role of Neo, the Wachowskis might have cast Val Kilmer as Morpheus, robbing the franchise of its iconic Black lead. "I probably would've messed The Matrix up," Smith said. "I did y'all a favor."
For fans of Westerns, there are plenty of other options on streaming this month. Clint Eastwood's 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' rides to Prime Video in July 2026, offering a classic take on the genre. Meanwhile, Chris Pratt's 'The Magnificent Seven' remake also heads to Prime Video this month. And if you're looking for a modern Western series, Walton Goggins' 'Justified' rides again as a streaming sensation on Hulu.
But if you're in the mood for a train wreck you can't look away from, Wild Wild West is your ticket. It's a time capsule of late-'90s excess, a what-if moment in Hollywood history, and a reminder that even the biggest stars can stumble. You can watch it for free on Tubi starting July 2026. And if you want to see how Smith bounced back, check out his later hits—or just marvel at the giant spider one more time.
