Arizona was released in December 1918 and fared well at the box office overall. At the time of its release, theaters around the U.S. were just beginning to reopen after forced closures due to the Spanish flu epidemic. Many reviews focused on the effect Fairbanks had on the well-known material; some were favorable. The
New York Times observed: Arizona' in the hands of some other actor might have become just another screen melodrama ... but with Fairbanks in the leading role, it has become an enjoyable comedy in which the athletic stunts of the star play a conspicuous and entertaining ... part." The
Variety review repeated this opinion almost word for word. The review in
The Billboard offered a similar point of view and added that the audience "echoed with spontaneous laughter in response to the energetic portrayal".
P. S. Harrison of
Motion Picture News and Edward Weitzel of
Moving Picture World were less complimentary. Harrison opined that when Fairbanks attempted heavy drama, both "the actor's ability to entertain and the dignity of the drama [suffer]". Weitzel found Fairbanks' characterization of Denton lacking: "The athletic star has, as usual, put his own personality into the picture, and acts Douglas Fairbanks with his customary life-like perfection." ''
Wid's Daily'' rated elements of the picture as "fair", "unobjectionable", and "nothing to brag about", and called the star "same old Doug"; only the supporting cast, Roberts in particular, was judged "first-rate". Even so, the reviews were positive as to the film's drawing power due to its star. ==See also==