The second film in Kevin Costner's multi-part western epic had been slated for an August 16 release.
Reviews have been mixed, and ticket sales continue to be disappointing, for Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1, the first installment of his ambitious four-movie epic Western. So Costner’s Territory Pictures and distribution partner New Line Cinema are switching to Plan B: They’ve indefinitely delayed the originally announced August 16 opening date for Horizon 2 in order to grow the audience for the first film.
A New Line spokesperson said in a prepared statement Wednesday that enormous changes were made at virtually the last minute “in order to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of Horizon over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and MAX. We thank our exhibition partners for their continued support as moviegoers across the US discover the film in its theatrical run.”
Horizon 1 will be available on Premium VOD starting July 16, even as the movie continues its theatrical run, and start streaming on MAX sometime in the near future.
Not surprisingly, many C&I readers who liked Horizon 1, and were eagerly awaiting Horizon 2, are not at all happy about this. And they weren’t at all shy about expressing their disappointment in comments on our C&I Facebook page.
Diane Fjalstad summed up the feelings of several folks when she posted: “Too many people were looking for another Yellowstone or something else in reference to this movie. It’s totally different and should be looked at differently from the other end. It’s not a TV show or movie from the past… Viewers look to relate to something that should be different and Kevin’s vision is different on this movie. Some will like it and some not like it. Respect the movie for what it is. Respect Kevin [as] the actor, director, writer and producer.
“I think [Costner] should release Part 2 right away,” Roxanne Johnson opined. “Some just don’t understand the first part introduced the storyline and characters; the second will clarify where the story is headed. People will lose interest if too much time lapses. Put the story in high gear in other words!”
Charles Allen agreed: “I think the second one should be released as scheduled. First, there isn’t much in the theaters and, two, if you liked the first one enough to see the second, you’ll want to see it.”
Jim Smith admitted that “at first, I didn’t want to see this movie because I had read a lot of bad reviews from people who actually had seen it.” But when he decided to give Horizon 1 a try, “My wife, son and I totally loved it! I don't understand why it is getting horrible reviews. SMH.”
“Didn’t seem like a three-hour movie,” Andrew Lazzers posted, noting that “a lot of storylines were being followed.” So why did Horizon 1 underperform at the box-office? “As someone else said, too many people were expecting another Yellowstone or 1883. And a lot of people refused to see it because Costner left Yellowstone to film these movies.”
Melissa Eisenhower Meyer warned: “Those of us who saw 1 and enjoyed it might forget all about 2 if it delays too long. There were lots of people in the theater we attended. They were all middle-aged and older. You better get that next one out there, or we might not go.”
Giovanni Zito bluntly described the delay of Horizon 2 as “a crime [against] cinema’s lovers.” And Levi Shutt wondered whether Costner would be able to complete his long-cherished dream project: “If this doesn't get finished because American audiences would rather see dudes in spandex pretend to fly in front of a green screen, so help me…”
(It should be noted, by the way, that Variety has reported filming on Chapter 3 “is expected to resume in mid-August and key members of the crew also have the script for Chapter 4.” Of course, that could change…)
On the other hand, Sue Totland seemed philosophical about the situation: “Most movies are a year… or more… apart, so I can definitely wait to enjoy the second chapter at a later date.”
Len Kirschner suggested the entire Horizon franchise “would be better served on streaming with 1 of 12 episodes dropping each week. Society being more isolated is a factor in the response.”
To be fair, it should be mentioned that not all C&I readers were impressed by Horizon 1. Indeed, Stephen Conn was moved to email: “Thank you for the article on Kevin Costner’s Horizon. However, though I am a fan of Yellowstone, I had to walk out after an hour or so; everything felt so familiar from other Westerns (and Kevin didn’t even show up till over an hour in!).”
And back when we asked for reactions on Facebook after the opening weekend, Rachel Briggs posted: “We were not impressed. I know it’s not meant to be a standalone, but there were too many storylines that jumped around a bunch. Hardly any storylines overlapped. It was disjointed, and they sure love to use those fake whinnies where they don’t make logical sense. I understand leaving the audience wanting more, but I didn’t leave with this feeling.”
But Vicki Martin did: “Loved it, everything about it. The music, breathtaking scenery, and a great movie. Was shocked when the three hours were over! I was still wanting more!!! I lost track of time !! Can’t wait till part two in August.”
Unfortunately, the wait will be a bit longer. But not much longer, we hope.
