Kevin Costnerโs โHorizonโ 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 filmโs marketing expenses were on Costnerโs dime. While Costner might be disappointed in the filmโs lackluster start at the box office, he was adamant as โHorizonโ launched in theaters that opening weekend numbers were not everything.
โIโve lived with movies and what happens to them on their opening weekend,โ Costner told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published the day of โHorizonโsโ release day. โIf we put so much pressure on that, weโre bound to be disappointed. Iโm really happy that โHorizonโ looks like what itโs supposed to look like, and thatโs the way itโll look the rest of its life. And thatโs really important to me in this process.โ
โWould I love that it would be highly, highly successful?โ Costner said. โOf course, Iโd 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.โ
โHorizonโ is clearly not successful at this time, and thereโs no telling where the proposed franchise goes from here. Warner Bros. is set to release the second โHorizonโ film in the planned four-movie saga on Aug. 16. Costner, meanwhile, is moving into production on the third movie. Itโs unknown at this stage how the first movieโs poor box office start will impact Costnerโs plans to shoot a fourth film.
Critics were mostly negative towards โHorizon,โ with many pundits noting that Costnerโs 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.
โHorizon: An American Saga โ Chapter 1โ is now playing in theaters nationwide.