Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’ Flops: Are Sequels Canceled?

Kevin Costner invested millions into the production of his Western epic, Horizon, along with its direct sequel. He had grand plans for additional chapters in this shared universe. However, in an unfortunate turn of events for Costner, audiences did not flock to see his film, causing the franchise to falter before it could gain momentum.

Costner’s ambitious project faced a harsh reality when the box office numbers came in for Horizon. Released on June 27, 2024, the movie debuted in third place, pulling in just $11.0 million over its opening weekend. Meanwhile, Inside Out held the top spot for its third week straight with $57.5 million, and A Quiet Place: Day One secured second with $52.2 million. Clearly, while audiences were going to theaters, Horizon was not their movie of choice.

The situation worsened in its second weekend, with the film falling to sixth place and bringing in only $5.3 million, resulting in a total of $22.07 million over two weeks. New releases such as Despicable Me 4 and MaXXXine stole the spotlight, while Inside Out 2 continued to outperform, earning $30.3 million in its fourth weekend alone—more than Horizon made in double that time.

Amid these disappointing box office results, New Line Cinema decided to indefinitely postpone the release of Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2, which was slated for an August 16 premiere. The studio indicated that they wanted to give audiences a chance to discover the first installment before rolling out the sequel.

This explanation, though, might be more of a strategic delay. The hope seemingly is that the film will gather a following through home video and streaming, potentially drumming up interest for a later theatrical release of the second chapter.

The delays have triggered a cascade of setbacks for Costner’s ambitious franchise plans. The third movie, which Costner was eager to start filming, has seen its production canceled. The fallout extends beyond theatrical releases as the first movie is set to become available on premium video on demand shortly, and will soon be accessible on Max.

Additionally, New Line Cinema has requested that theaters extend their screen time for Horizon in hopes that a prolonged run might build a stronger audience base, potentially aiding the performance of the second movie when it eventually sees the light of day (via USA Today).

Have you had a chance to watch Kevin Costner’s Horizon? Do you believe that contemporary audiences are interested in Westerns on the big screen? Share your thoughts in the comments below.