Kevin Costner’s ambitious Western epic, “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2,” will not be hitting theaters on its originally scheduled date of August 16. Warner Bros. has decided to pull the film from its release calendar, citing the need to give audiences more time to discover the first installment, which has underperformed at the box office.
The first chapter of “Horizon,” which premiered in June, was expected to be a major hit but only managed to earn $11 million in its opening weekend. The film has since struggled to gain traction, grossing just $23 million worldwide. This lackluster performance has led to the decision to delay the release of Chapter 2, with no new date announced yet.
New Line Cinema, the Warner Bros. imprint that distributed the first movie, hopes to build excitement for the sequel once the original arrives on streaming platforms. “Territory Pictures and New Line Cinema have decided not to release Horizon: Chapter 2 on August 16 in order to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of ‘Horizon’ over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and Max,” a New Line Cinema spokesperson told Variety. “We thank our exhibition partners for their continued support as moviegoers across the U.S. discover the film in its theatrical run.”
“Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1” and “Chapter 2” were filmed together, with plans to release them back-to-back in theaters. The project is part of a planned four-part series set during the U.S. Civil War. Costner, who also co-wrote the script, has said he hopes to complete all four chapters. The first two movies were released so close together that they even shared a theatrical poster.
Costner has invested heavily in this project, both financially and creatively. He reportedly mortgaged his Santa Barbara home and deferred his salary to fund $38 million of the $100 million budget for the first two chapters. Despite the financial risk, Costner remains committed to his vision. “When no one wanted to make the first one, I got the bright idea to make four,” Costner joked when the trailer dropped earlier this year. “So I don’t know what’s wrong with me. But I wanted it to step away from what we usually see in Westerns.”
The film features an impressive ensemble cast, including Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Danny Huston, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Georgia MacPhail, Douglas Smith, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Alejandro Edda, Wasé Winyan Chief, Michael Anganaro, Angus Macfadyen, Jon Beavers, Alex Nibley, Kathleen Quinlan, Etienne Kellici, Amos Jason Charging Cloud, Bodhi Okuma Linton, Gregory Cruz, James Russo, Jeff Fahey, David O’Hara, Chris Conner, Leroy M. Silva, Bernardo Velasco, Tom Everett, Glynn Turman, Giovanni Ribisi, and more.
The first chapter of “Horizon” is set to release on VOD on July 16. There is no known release date for the film on disc or Max yet. Some theaters had already sold tickets for Chapter 2, which will be refunded, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Critics have not been kind to “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1,” which has a 48% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews have described the three-hour film as bloated, with many characters whose stories do not lead anywhere and whose relationships to one another are unclear.
“Horizon” has been a decades-long passion project for Costner and marks his first project as a director since “Open Range” in 2003. He finally began production on the films in 2022, more than 30 years after he had originally conceived of the project. The first chapter premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation, though there were also “scores of walkouts” and most critics gave the film a negative review.
The delay of Chapter 2 comes amid Costner’s dramatic exit from his starring role on “Yellowstone,” the most popular scripted show on television. His departure followed reports of clashes with “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan over scheduling conflicts with his “Horizon” project. Costner later denied these reports, stating he had a long wait for his “Yellowstone” scripts, which left him little time before he had to start production on “Horizon.”
Despite the setbacks, Costner remains optimistic about the future of the “Horizon” series. “The audience response to ‘Horizon,’ and enthusiasm for seeing our story continue in ‘Horizon 2,’ has been incredibly gratifying,” Territory Pictures said in a statement. “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.”
As fans await the new release date for “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2,” the first chapter will continue to be available in theaters and will soon be accessible on PVOD and Max. Costner’s dedication to his vision and the support from his fans and partners suggest that the “Horizon” saga is far from over.
Source: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Forbes
