Kevin Costnerβs βHorizonβ 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 filmβs marketing expenses were on Costnerβs dime. While Costner might be disappointed in the filmβs lackluster start at the box office, he was adamant as βHorizonβ launched in theaters that opening weekend numbers were not everything.
βIβve lived with movies and what happens to them on their opening weekend,β Costner told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published the day of βHorizonβsβ release day. βIf we put so much pressure on that, weβre bound to be disappointed. Iβm really happy that βHorizonβ looks like what itβs supposed to look like, and thatβs the way itβll look the rest of its life. And thatβs really important to me in this process.β
βWould I love that it would be highly, highly successful?β Costner said. βOf course, Iβd 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.β
βHorizonβ is clearly not successful at this time, and thereβs no telling where the proposed franchise goes from here. Warner Bros. is set to release the second βHorizonβ film in the planned four-movie saga on Aug. 16. Costner, meanwhile, is moving into production on the third movie. Itβs unknown at this stage how the first movieβs poor box office start will impact Costnerβs plans to shoot a fourth film.
Critics were mostly negative towards βHorizon,β with many pundits noting that Costnerβs 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.
βHorizon: An American Saga β Chapter 1β is now playing in theaters nationwide.