Chapter 1 of the Western epic ranked No. 1 during its first week on VOD charts.
Looks like Kevin Costner may have the last laugh — or at least a mild chuckle — regarding Horizon: An American Saga.
When Costner’s Territory Pictures and distribution partner New Line Cinema announced earlier this month that Chapter 2 of the planned four-movie Western epic would be bumped from its scheduled Aug. 16 opening date, there was a lot a loose talk that the Oscar-winning actor-director might never achieve his goal of theatrical exhibition for each chapter of his long-cherished dream project.
Indeed, some naysayers went so far as to predict that, even though he’d already completed production on Chapter 2, Chapters 3 and 4 would never see the light of day. Or the inside of a multiplex.
Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 performed so underwhelmingly at the boxoffice after its heavily publicized June 28 opening that a dramatic shift in release strategy was agreed upon. Plan B: Chapter 1 would be made available for rental or purchase earlier than scheduled on Video on Demand (VOD), a New Line spokesman announced, “in order to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of Horizon over the coming weeks” before a yet-to-be announced opening for Chapter 2.
Cynics sneered: Yeah, right.
But guess what? In its first week of digital release, Horizon 1 sits at the No. 1 spot on the VOD charts.
According to Tom Brueggemann of IndieWire, “Its rapid transition to home viewing after 18 days (standard for Universal beyond its biggest hits) looks like a smart move: It suggests there is an audience, although perhaps not one eager to watch the 181-minute epic in a theater.
“This could help the troubled project gain traction, get it out of the red (the combined production cost of [Chapter 1 and Chapter 2] is a reported $100 million, before marketing), and increase interest for Chapter 2, wherever/whenever it plays.”
To be sure, rumors continue to swirl that all three remaining films in the Horizon franchise will wind up premiering on a streaming service such as Netflix or Prime Video.
“It’s really sad to say this,” Jordan Ruimy of the film site World of Reel wrote, “but Costner’s hopes to turn Horizon into a theatrical movie event have failed. I just can’t image all four of these films hitting theaters. There is a chance that they might get made, Costner’s mysterious backers seem to be helping out a lot, but a theatrical rollout is too risky. Streaming is the best and, possibly, only option to turn this franchise into a viable endeavor for all parties involved.”
Maybe. On the other hand, the current VOD rollout — along with its upcoming availability on MAX — could possibility impress millions of viewers who were leery of sitting through a 181-minute movie that wasn’t titled Oppenheimer. And that in turn could convince them to get off their duffs and head to theaters if Chapter 2 does appear in multiplexes later this year.
At this point, all we know for certain is that Costner has wrapped production on Chapter 2, started filming Chapter 3, and entrusted members of his crew with the script for Chapter 4. Film history is littered with more than a few examples of boxoffice underachievers proving so popular on home video and streaming sites that sequels were green-lit and released in theaters. And while it’s true that none of those movies that got second chances were three-hour-plus epics… well, hope springs eternal.
Watch this space for further developments.
