One of the most ambitious releases in recent Hollywood memory has already hit a snag: Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2” has been pushed back from its planned August 16 release date.
The film was to be a follow-up to the June 28 release of “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1.” Costner has talked about two more chapters that have not yet been made. In the two weeks since its release, the first film, estimated to cost $100 million and running 3 hours and 1 minute, has grossed just $24.5 million. Costner, who directed, co-wrote, produced and stars in “Horizon,” is reported to have invested about $38 million of his own money in the project.
A spokesperson for New Line Cinema stated, “Territory Pictures and New Line Cinema have decided not to release Horizon: Chapter 2 on August 16 in order to provide audiences with a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of Horizon in the coming weeks, including on PVOD and Max. We thank our exhibition partners for their continued support as moviegoers across the United States discover the film on its theatrical journey.”
The first installment of “Horizon” will arrive on premium video-on-demand services on July 16, while it continues to play in theaters. Its release date on the Max streaming service has not yet been announced.
In a separate statement, Territory Pictures said: “The audience response to ‘Horizon’ and the excitement to see our story continue in ‘Horizon 2’ has been incredibly rewarding. Kevin made this film for people who love movies and wanted to go on a journey. The support we’ve received from film fans and theatre owners as they experience the first chapter of this saga only serves to reinforce our belief in them and the films we’ve made, and we thank them for coming along for the ride. We welcome the opportunity to expand that window as we know it will only serve to enhance the viewing experience of ‘Horizon 2. ’”
Kevin Costner in “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1”
(Richard Foreman / Warner Bros. Pictures)
The news of the release date change for “Chapter 2” was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
The “Horizon” saga is set on the American frontier during the Civil War. The first film establishes numerous plots and many characters, played by a cast that, in addition to Costner, includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Abbey Lee and Danny Huston.
Chapter 1 ends with what is basically a teaser for Chapter 2, implying that all the narrative groundwork from the first film will begin to pay off in the second. For now, though, there's no telling when audiences will be able to find out if that's actually the case.
