Kevin Costner is “proud” of “Horizon” despite the disappointing box office start for the first film in his four-part Western saga.
Costner, 69, says he’s familiar with people being “dismissive” of his work, but remains convinced “Horizon” will “play for the next 50 years.”
“I’ve faced life with people being dismissive of me,” Costner told E! News. “But they can’t be dismissive of ‘Horizon,’ because now it’s out of their hands. And they might point to the finish line – well, this is what it did at the box office – but I know that this movie is going to play for the next 50 years.”
“There’s a moment in time where you want [your children] to see this movie,” he said. “To understand that this is what their [ancestors] went through. It’s not just a Western, it’s a history of migration and what they had to do to survive. And I’m really proud of it.”
Despite the poor box office performance, the Venice Film Festival chose to screen the first two films back-to-back. “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” will play in the morning, followed by “Chapter 2” in the evening on Sept. 7.
“That was a nice development over there,” Costner told the outlet. “They understand that it’s a saga.”
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Following the premiere of “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” Territory Pictures and New Line Cinema opted to delay the release of the next film in “order to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of ‘Horizon’ over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and Max.”
The first installment of the “Horizon” saga only earned $23 million in theaters over two weeks. The studio had originally planned a back-to-back release of the first two films, but seemingly pivoted following the poor box office performance.
“The audience response to ‘Horizon,’ and enthusiasm for seeing our story continue in ‘Horizon 2,’ has been incredibly gratifying,” Territory Pictures told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Kevin made this film for people who love movies and who wanted to go on a journey.”
“The support that we have received from film fans, and the theater owners, as they experience the first chapter of this saga only serves to reinforce our belief in them and the films that we have made, and we thank them for coming on board for the ride. We welcome the opportunity for that window to be expanded as we know it will only serve to enhance the experience of seeing ‘Horizon 2.’”
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The move was a humbling acknowledgment that Costner’s big theatrical gamble for his decades-long passion project was slow to catch on with audiences. The first chapter of “Horizon,” which debuted in May at the Cannes Film Festival, cost some $100 million to make, making its path to profitability extremely challenging if not impossible.
Costner put $38 million of his own money into the first movie, as he told GQ, and has already begun filming the third installment.
“I know they say I’ve got $20 million of my own money in this movie,” he revealed. “It’s not true. I’ve got now about $38 million in the film. That’s the truth. That’s the real number.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
