Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’ Sets Max Release Date After Box Office Flop
The wild, wild west will soon be available from your couch: Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” is moseying over to Max on Friday, Aug. 23.
The first installment of his western series, which he starred in, co-directed, co-wrote, produced and co-financed, details the life of several characters in the American West during and after the Civil War. Costner planned for the “Horizon” saga to span four movies, the first two of which were shot back to back, but after the first film’s box office disaster it’s unclear how the series will continue.
More from Variety
'Rick and Morty: The Anime' Begins Streaming on Max This Week
Max-With-Ads Subscription Now Included for DoorDash's DashPass Customers (EXCLUSIVE)
The second movie in the “Horizon” franchise was pulled from its Aug. 16 theatrical release date, after the first film earned only $11 million at the box office its opening weekend despite its approximately $100 million dollar budget. Costner stated that he spent $38 million of his own money to finance the film. “Horizon Chapter 2” will bow at the Venice Film Festival out-of-competition on Sept. 7.
A New Line Cinema spokesperson recently told Variety the decision to hold the second film was to “give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of ‘Horizon’ over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and Max.”
Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Jamie Campbell Bower and Thomas Haden Church round out the cast of the western film.
The first installment in the film series hit PVOD July 16, less than a month after it was released in theaters June 28.
Costner started production on the third movie in the series in May and took a pause to promote the first installment. Filming for “Chapter 3” was expected to continue in August, and key members of the crew have the script for the fourth and final film.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.