Summary
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2has had its theatrical release cancelled following the first movie’s poor box office performance. Chronicling an epic journey West in the years before and after the Civil War, the first installment in Kevin Costner’s Western passion project hit theaters at the end of June. The film, which features Costner as writer, director, producer, and star, was met with mixed reviews and was a box office dud, raising concerns aboutHorizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2’s planned releaseonly weeks later in August.
THRnow reports thatNew Line Cinema and Costner’s own Territory Pictures have decided to cancelHorizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2’s August release. The move has been made in order to give the first movie time to find its audience both in theaters and on home viewing platforms. No new release date forChapter 2has been announced just yet. Check out New Line Cinema’s comment toTHRabout the decision below:
“Territory Pictures and New Line Cinema have decided not to releaseHorizon: Chapter 2on August 16 to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment ofHorizonover the coming weeks, including on PVOD and MAX. We thank our exhibition partners for their continued support as moviegoers across the US discover the film in its theatrical run."
Horizon 2’s Cancelled Theatrical Release Explained
Chapter 1 Hasn’t Gotten Off To A Strong Start
Long beforeHorizon: An American Sagawas released, Costner’s entire plan for the project was seen as a major risk. Not only was the project a Western, a genre that has, for decades now, struggled to attract audiences to theaters, but the film carries a reported budget of $100 million,$38 million of which Costner himself contributed. The bar for success was set quite high for the film, then, butmatters were further complicated by Costner’s unprecedented decision to release the sequel less than two months later, with two moreHorizonmovies on the way.
Some recent reports have claimed thatHorizon’s production budget is actually $50 million, with the $100 million figure representing the cost of the first two films together. It’s unlikely those involved with the production will provide accurate budget figures either way.
Horizon’s reviewsare mixed at best, with critics taking issue with the movie’s over-long runtime, unfocused narrative, and the miniseries-like feel of the entire project. Despite this, the movie still had a chance to succeed with audiences, but the response there has been fairly lukewarm as well, as seen in the chart below.Horizonopened to just $11 million in June, a disappointing result given its price tag. Though it saw a relatively strong hold with audiences heading into its second weekend, it’s not been enough to change the narrative.
48%
71%
48/100
6.7/10
B-
Horizon: An American Saga Absolutely Should’ve Been A TV Show Instead Of Movie Franchise
The disappointing box office returns and critic reviews for Horizon: An American Saga prove that Kevin Costner chose the wrong format for his series.
Those looking to see what happens after theHorizon: An American Sagaendingwill eventually get their wish, butit’s unclear how much of a difference the delay will actually make to the sequel’s commercial prospects. Many of those discovering the first movie from home on VOD, for example, could be likely to wait to watch the sequel on VOD as well. WhileHorizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2will make its way to theaters at some point, things are certainly looking troubling for the planned third and fourth films, neither of which have secured distribution.
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2
Cast
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 continues the exploration of the Old West, spanning from 1859 to 1874. Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, the film delves into the lives of families, friends, and enemies grappling with the nation’s evolving identity.
