Kevin Costner’s $100M movie ‘Horizon’ ends theatrical run with huge financial loss
Kevin Costner got dealt a major blow by theatergoers this summer.
His Western film “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One,” which cost $100 million to make, made only $32 million during its theatrical run, which came to an end last week.
According to Box Office Mojo, the film domestically earned around $11 million the weekend it debuted in theaters on June 28.
The movie’s gross domestic total was about $29 million when it closed in theaters last week.
Internationally, “Chapter 1” made over $3.6 million — bringing the film’s worldwide box office total to $32.6 million.
It’s been confirmed by Costner, 69, that he spent $38 million of his own money to make the first installment in the planned four-part film series.
“That’s the message I want my kids to understand about who I am: that I do what I believe,” the actor told GQ in May when he was promoting “Horizon.”
“I have fear like everybody else. I don’t want to be humiliated.”
Costner’s film completely bombed upon its release less than two months ago. It struggled with fans and critics, earning a 49% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
In his review, The Post movie critic Johnny Oleksinski wrote, “I could not fathom committing another 540 minutes of my time to this bloated ego trip.”
He added: “It’s hard to believe Costner left ‘Yellowstone’ to make such an embarrassing, poorly told mess … There are more than 20 named roles scattered all over the place — the San Pedro Valley, the Montana Territory, the Western Santa Fe Trail — and viewers strain to care much for any of them, so bland and animatronic they all are.”
The Oscar winner addressed his film’s flop performance this past weekend, saying that he’s “faced life with people being dismissive of me” in an interview with “E! News.”
“But they can’t be dismissive of ‘Horizon,’ because now it’s out of their hands,” Costner said. “And they might point to the finish line — well, this is what it did at the box office — but I know that this movie is going to play for the next 50 years.”
The failure of “Chapter 1” also resulted in the next sequel losing its theatrical release date, which was scheduled for Aug. 16.
“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2” — which Costner also helped fund — will now premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 7, where the first movie will also screen.
In a previous interview with Deadline, Costner revealed he took out a mortgage on his 10-acre home in Santa Barbara, California, to help pay for some of the “Horizon” film series’ budget.
“I’ve mortgaged 10 acres on the water in Santa Barbara where I was going to build my last house,” he said. “But I did it without a thought. It has thrown my accountant into a f—king conniption fit. But it’s my life, and I believe in the idea and the story.”
In addition to Costner, “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” also stars Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisi, who will all be in the sequel.
