Kevin Costner privately worried his 1990 directorial debut, Dances with Wolves, would leave him "eaten up" by Hollywood, having called it a "dumb first movie" before release due to its length, use of first-time actors, subtitled dialogue and unfashionable Western setting. By the end of the 1980s Costner was already a bankable star thanks to films such as The Untouchables and Field of Dreams, and used that leverage to direct the sprawling Civil War-era epic, despite several studios rejecting it in the belief that Westerns no longer drew audiences.

His confidence was ultimately vindicated: the film grossed around $420 million worldwide and won seven Oscars from twelve nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner, becoming the first Western to take the top prize since 1931's Cimarron. He never quite matched that success as a director again, with 1997's The Postman flopping badly, though 2003's Open Range, again a Western, was well received by critics and audiences alike.