Steel Dawn premiered on 290 screens on November 8, 1987, in the United States. It grossed $311,892 on its opening weekend. It reportedly made approximately $562,187 against an estimated $3,500,000 budget. On
Metacritic the film has a
weighted average score of 24 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Walter Goodman of
The New York Times noted that the film closely follows the plot of the classic 1953 western
Shane. In a retrospective review from
Film.com, Eric D. Snider wrote, "[
Steel Dawn] has a very simple plot, so the only way to stretch the material into 90 minutes is to spend some time with the characters and watch them inhabit their strange, futuristic world. But the movie also has very simple characters who are devoid of personality and are not fun to spend time with, and the movie has also refused to set up their strange, futuristic world in any kind of detail." Matt Gamble, of
Where the Long Tail Ends, gave a more positive review, writing, "
Steel Dawn opens with...a scene so amazing that it will melt your face right off. The problem is, the scene achieves such great heights that the rest of the film pales in comparison. Which is a shame, as
Steel Dawn is a damn solid, if a bit predictable, movie." It holds 35% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes. ==See also==