Home Release Leads to Redemption for Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’

One of the biggest flops of 2024 is finally getting the attention it deserves. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, the latest epic from Kevin Costner, was an immediate hit on Video-On-Demand (VOD), hitting #1 on top ten lists of digital video providers. The film, featuring multiple storylines depicting America’s westward expansion after the Civil War, couldn’t entice moviegoers to sit through its three-hour runtime, but is finding plenty of viewers enjoying it in their homes.

According to a report by Tom Brueggemann at IndieWire, the Western immediately hit #1 once released on major digital platforms, including Fandango/VUDU, iTunes, and Prime Video. Its release to digital on July 15, a mere 18 days after its theatrical release, is a reflection of its poor box office returns. Warner Bros. is hoping to capitalize on the attention the film received during its theatrical promotional campaign to ignite interest in digital sales. The strategy appears to have worked.

Horizon

2/5

Horizon centers around fictional characters and takes place in pre- and post-Civil War America, and details the exploration of the American West. Depicting a twelve-year span, the movies feature an ensemble cast portraying various characters and their experiences pioneering into new territory from their homes.

Release Date

June 28, 2024

Runtime

3h 1m

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Horizon hit #1 on iTunes on its first day of release, outpacing Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Civil War, and The Bikeriders. At Fandango at Home (formerly VUDU), the film was #1 for the week of July 15-21, followed by Planet of the Apes, The Garfield Movie, and The Bikeriders. The film is currently the #4 film purchase on Prime Video, ahead of other recent releases like Furiosa and Planet of the Apes.

The New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. film was a risk to begin with, as the Western genre rarely connects at the box office. Despite Costner’s star power and fan following (particularly among Yellowstone fans), the film generated little positive buzz, and critics gave it a dismal 48% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. The three-hour runtime and word that Costner doesn’t get a lot of screentime didn’t appeal to many moviegoers either.

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Kevin Costner fans see the Horizon 2 release date change as a damning indictment of modern movies.

What Is Horizon About?

Based on a screenplay by Costner and Jon Baird, and directed by Costner, Horizon is the first of four planned films that follow multiple storylines of settlers in the American West during a 15-year period before and after the Civil War. In addition to Costner, the film stars Michael Rooker, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Danny Huston, Tom Payne, Will Patton, and Giovanni Ribisi.

The film made only $11 million in its opening weekend, and just over $28 million at the box office after four weeks, against a reported $100 million budget for the first two films. That caused Warner Bros. to change its plans for the film, rushing it to digital release and delaying the August release of Horizon Chapter 2. That film does not yet have a new release date. Chapter 1 will have a September 4K/Blu-ray disc release.

Despite flopping at the box office, the film gives Warner Bros. reason to hope. Moviegoers rated the film at 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, and its strong showing on digital means an audience is building for future chapters. A physical disc release and eventual release on Max will increase the chances that the eventual release of Chapter 2 will see a stronger box office return.