The second installment in Kevin Costner’s four-part “Horizon” film series will no longer release in theaters on Aug. 16, the latest struggle for Costner’s decades-long, multimillion dollar Western passion project that has already attracted poor reviews from critics and underwhelming box office results for the first film.
The first part of "Horizon" underperformed at the box office. (Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)
The first two “Horizon” films were originally planned to hit theaters in quick succession: Chapter 1 opened in theaters on June 28, and the second part was planned to follow seven weeks later.
Distributors Territory Pictures and New Line Cinema told The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline they pulled Chapter 2 from the release calendar “to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of Horizon over the coming weeks.”
The first chapter of “Horizon” is still playing in theaters and will release on video on demand July 16 and will eventually release on Max, though a streaming release date has not yet been announced.
Some theaters had already sold tickets for Chapter 2, which will be refunded, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The first “Horizon” film grossed a dismal $11 million in its opening weekend, a concerning start for the film that reportedly had a $100 million production budget—of which Costner said he personally funded $38 million by mortgaging his Santa Barbara home and deferring his salary from the “Horizon” films. Chapter 1 has grossed just $23 million worldwide after nearly two weeks in theaters, according to Box Office Mojo.
When the second “Horizon” film will release, or how the delay will impact Costner’s plans to release four “Horizon” films. He is currently shooting the third installment.
“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” failed to impress critics, earning a dismal 48% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Many reviews, including those of Slate and The Hollywood Reporter, said the three-hour film was too bloated, with many characters whose stories did 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, and the first chapter premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Cannes filmgoers gave the movie a seven-minute standing ovation, though Variety reported there were “scores of walkouts” and most critics gave the film a negative review.
“Horizon” opened in theaters just days after Costner announced he would not return to his starring role on “Yellowstone,” the most popular scripted show on television that paid him north of a million dollars per episode. His dramatic exit followed reports that he clashed with “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan over scheduling, with Deadline reporting that Costner only wanted to spend one week shooting the second part of the show’s fifth season because of conflicts with his “Horizon” schedule. Costner later denied these reports in a GQ interview, instead stating he had a long wait for his “Yellowstone” scripts which left him little time before he had to start production on “Horizon.” Costner lamented the drama in an interview with People, stating he was “disappointed that nobody on their side... ever stepped up to defend what it was I actually did for them.”
Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon 2’ Pulled From August Release in Theaters (Exclusive) (The Hollywood Reporter)
Trouble On Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’: His Big Post-‘Yellowstone’ Gamble Could Go Bust (Forbes)
Kevin Costner Bails From ‘Yellowstone’ Following Reports Of Behind-The-Scenes Drama (Forbes)