Kevin Costner, the Oscar-winning director and Emmy Award-winning actor, bet the ranch on his epic four-part Western “Horizon: An American Saga.” But when “Chapter 1” was released in theaters on June 28 moviegoers mostly said “neigh.” The three-hour film with middling reviews has only grossed $25 million, pretty much an unmitigated disappointment – so much so that New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Discovery pulled back the reins on “Chapter 2.” Originally set to debut on August 16, the second film has now been indefinitely delayed.
The spin, as per The Hollywood Reporter, is to maintain a theatrical release for the second part, but just to hit pause and wait for an audience to grow. That may mean hoping the film picks up some steam on PVOD next week and eventually on Max. Of course, the whole point of this movie was Costner’s dream of getting adults off their duff and back to movie theaters. But a 180-minute running time (and word that “Chapter 1” was essentially all build-up) made it a pretty tough sell.
Costner’s Territory Pictures released a face-saving statement: “The audience response to ‘Horizon’, and enthusiasm for seeing our story continue in ‘Horizon 2’, has been incredibly gratifying. Kevin made this film for people who love movies and who wanted to go on a journey. The support that we have received from film fans, and the theater owners, as they experience the first chapter of this saga only serves to reinforce our belief in them and the films that we have made, and we thank them for coming on board for the ride. We welcome the opportunity for that window to be expanded as we know it will only serve to enhance the experience of seeing ‘Horizon 2’.”
“Chapter 1” has a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 48 on Metacritic. Its Cinemascore rating is a B-, which isn’t a catastrophe but isn’t exactly screaming “oooh, gimme more” either.
The failure of “Horizon” thus far is particularly rough for Costner, who co-financed much of the project himself. Also, scheduling the massive production meant finally walking away from the hit series “Yellowstone” for its fifth season.
The third chapter of “Horizon” is currently in production, and part four is due to begin shortly. Perhaps.
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