It was the best of his spaghetti western trilogy in the 60.s, directed by Sergio Leone, filmed in Spain and Italy with an Italian crew and a international cast. Although these films made money, they did not get very good reviews initially and many movie goers in the US gave them a lukewarm response. This was a time when westerns were defined by John Wayne and John Ford who glorified the old west. They created a rather ridged stereotype of the west that was as phony as a $3 bill and audiences loved it. Then comes this Italian version of the western loaded with violence and international flavor. Most of the money the movies made were not from initial distribution. The trilogy was brought back several times in both the US and abroad. then distributed on video tape, DVD, cable, TV, and now streaming services. All toll, these films made a lot money over years and are still popular. They broke the stereotype of the Old West. Lawmen could bad guys or cowards, towns folk could be heroes, evil could prevail. Westerns no longer had to be a war between good and evil. They started to explore social issues such as race, religion, homosexuality, etc.
