Kevin Costner‘s “Horizon” got off to a dismal start at the box office with $11 million, an undisputed misfire considering the budget was in the $100 million range for Western epic. Costner said he spent around $38 million of his own money to finance the production. Warner Bros. only paid for distribution, meaning even the film’s marketing expenses were on Costner’s dime. While Costner might be disappointed in the film’s lackluster start at the box office, he was adamant as “Horizon” launched in theaters that opening weekend numbers were not everything.
“I’ve lived with movies and what happens to them on their opening weekend,” Costner told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published the day of “Horizon’s” release day. “If we put so much pressure on that, we’re bound to be disappointed. I’m really happy that ‘Horizon’ looks like what it’s supposed to look like, and that’s the way it’ll look the rest of its life. And that’s really important to me in this process.”
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“Would I love that it would be highly, highly successful?” Costner said. “Of course, I’d like that. My ego would like that; everyone would like that. But I am happiest that the movie that you and I are talking about looks the way I want it to look.”
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“Horizon” is clearly not successful at this time, and there’s no telling where the proposed franchise goes from here. Warner Bros. is set to release the second “Horizon” film in the planned four-movie saga on Aug. 16. Costner, meanwhile, is moving into production on the third movie. It’s unknown at this stage how the first movie’s poor box office start will impact Costner’s plans to shoot a fourth film.
Critics were mostly negative towards “Horizon,” with many pundits noting that Costner’s sprawling story felt more like the start of a limited television series than a feature film. The movie introduces several storylines, featuring Costner as a lone cowboy helping a woman (Abbey Lee) in need, Sienna Miller as the survivor of a town massacre, Luke Wilson as the leader of a wagon train and more.
“Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” is now playing in theaters nationwide.
