Kevin Costner’s ambitious “Horizon” film series faces a significant bump in the road. The second installment, “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2,” was supposed to hit theaters next month but has been pulled due to the first film’s underwhelming box office performance. Yet, this setback doesn’t seem to deter the determined star.
Originally set for an August release, the second film is now off the schedule. The idea is to give audiences more time to catch up with the first movie through platforms like PVOD and Max. According to New Line Cinema, they want to maximize the potential audience for the initial chapter before moving forward with the next one.
Short Kevin Costner’s Horizon movie review. @UntitledFilmP0d #KevinCostner #Horizon #GrandCanyon pic.twitter.com/lm4zFd0YN0
— Jim Chandler (@JimChandlerNOW) July 13, 2024
Despite this delay, Costner is pressing on with the remaining films in the series. Filming for the third installment started earlier this year and will continue in August. Costner also has the script ready for the fourth film. He had initially hoped to release each film every three months, but with the delay of Chapter 2, it’s clear he’ll need to rethink this plan.
Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’ Flops, Sequels Canceled? https://t.co/oJbSbcJmrm
— TV Shows Ace (@TVShowsAce) July 13, 2024
Representatives for Costner, Territory Pictures, and Warner Bros. have not provided any comments on this recent development. Costner has a lot riding on this project. He mortgaged his Santa Barbara property and poured $38 million of his own money into making “Horizon” a reality. The first film alone had a budget of $100 million, and the marketing costs, reportedly around $30 million, were also covered by Costner and his financial partners. Unfortunately, the first film only made $11 million during its opening weekend.
Kevin Costner thinking about Horizon Chapter 2 getting pulled from theaters pic.twitter.com/MheZjpVUGb
— Paul Muad’Dib (@trygraptor) July 13, 2024
This isn’t the first time Costner has dipped into his own pockets to fund a movie. Back in 1990, he used $3 million of his own money for “Dances with Wolves,” a decision that paid off handsomely. The film, which had a budget of $22 million, went on to win multiple awards and raked in $184 million at the US box office alone. In 2014, he also financed the entire $9 million budget for “Black or White,” which ended up making over $21.5 million. However, not all his investments have been successful. The 1997 film “The Postman,” to which he contributed an undisclosed amount, was a notable flop, earning less than $18 million against an $80 million budget.
Regardless of these mixed outcomes, Costner remains undeterred. He is committed to seeing the “Horizon” saga through, with hopes that the audience will eventually appreciate the entire series.
Key Points:
i. Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2” has been delayed to build a larger audience for the first film.
ii. Despite the setback, Costner continues with the production of the third film and has a script ready for the fourth.
iii. Costner invested $38 million of his own money and mortgaged his Santa Barbara property to fund the series.
iv. The first film’s budget was $100 million, with additional marketing costs of $30 million, but it only made $11 million on its opening weekend.
v. Costner has a history of both successful and unsuccessful personal investments in his films, including hits like “Dances with Wolves” and flops like “The Postman.”
Fallon Jacobson – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
