Kevin Costner’s notorious passion project Horizon: An American Saga, to which he famously injected almost $40 million of his own money, doesn’t seem to be paying off just yet.
The former Yellowstone actor, whose dedication to Horizon was a sore subject in the midst of his apparent feud with Taylor Sheridan and his complicated divorce proceedings with ex Christine Baumgartner, premiered the Western saga in theaters in late June, and it has since failed to have significant box office impact or impress critics.
Now, the second part of the three-hour movie, itself the first of what was meant to be a four-part extravaganza, has been pulled from its upcoming theatrical release.
Horizon: Chapter 2 was previously set to hit theaters as soon as August 16, and while plans to release it in theaters remain, its premiere next month has been canceled, and it’s now unclear when it will become available.
In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson for New Line Cinema said: “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.” The movie arrives on PVOD July 16, however a release date for Max has yet to be announced.
“We thank our exhibition partners for their continued support as moviegoers across the U.S. discover the film in its theatrical run,” the statement concluded.
In their own statement, Kevin’s production company Territory Pictures shared: “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.”
They maintained: “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.'”
Horizon had a budget of $100 million, and was filmed in a Utah set that Kevin plans to expand into a massive, Costner-themed movie filming compound.
He has admitted to putting $38 million of his own money into the first film alone, though it earned only $11 million on opening weekend, and a total of $24 million so far.
Kevin, who earned two Academy Awards for his directorial debut, Dances with Wolves, in 1990, directs and stars in Horizon, in addition to Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, plus his own 15-year-old son Hayes, who makes a brief appearance, and who was named after the lead character (Kevin has been working on Horizon for over 15 years).