Hollywood has changed its mind and will not be releasing a sequel to Horizon: An American Saga next month since Kevin Costner’s grandiose passion project is underperforming.
As planned, Costner’s epic western Horizon will be released in four parts. The first two sections were released this summer: Chapter 1 on June 28 and Chapter 2 on August 16.
Having said that, the original picture had a hard time breaking even. With a $100 million budget—including $38 million that Costner himself funded—the picture got off to a poor start in its opening week, earning only $11 million, placing it in third place at the box office.
After Horizon bombed at the box office, the production company changed their minds and pushed back the release of Chapter 2 from August.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that in order to offer fans more time to see Chapter 1 on their own schedule via streaming and video-on-demand services, Territory Pictures and New Line Cinema chose to postpone the release.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a representative from New Line expressed gratitude to its exhibition partners for their ongoing support while the film is being discovered by audiences across the United States during its theatrical run. Nobody knows when the new release will be.
Chapter 1 of Horizon will be accessible on premium video on demand providers beginning July 16 for home viewing. Max, a streaming service, will also have it available at some unnamed point.
An unprecedented and ambitious strategy in Hollywood was to release the first two portions of the series just weeks apart, but the massive swing was unsuccessful.
Theatre attendance has been a perennial problem for studios due to high ticket costs and the rise of at-home streaming services. Anything that isn’t a blockbuster sequel, particularly a three-hour western, has a hard time competing.
Kevin Costner, who has been starring in one of the most famous TV shows in recent years—Yellowstone—was the lynchpin of the hit hopes. However, viewers of that show didn’t flock to the movies.
Now we just need to see if those Yellowstone watchers will be able to find Horizon on their own. After bombing at the box office, some films find new life on streaming services and DVD rentals; here’s hoping this one does the same for the sequels.
However, critics and audiences had different opinions on Horizon: Chapter 1. The film garnered a “rotten” rating of 41% on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience gave it a more positive, if still not stellar, 71%. Despite lots of acclaim for the cinematography and ambition, the film was panned for being too long and having an overly complicated plot with too many characters and plotlines.
Who can blame Costner? He’s had a personal investment in the project’s success and has been pushing for its production for decades, so this news must have hurt. Last month, Costner addressed his commitment to Horizon, stating that he would not be returning to Yellowstone.