Horizon: An American Saga may be more than just a four-movie series. Directed, produced, co-written, and led by Kevin Costner, Horizon is dedicated to showcasing the slow growth of the American West before and after the events of the Civil War. It has a massive cast, including Costner, Sienna Miller (American Sniper), Sam Worthington (Avatar), and Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead). Chapter 1 was released on June 28 with Chapter 2 set to reach theaters on August 16. With Chapter 2 still awaiting its release, the other two release dates have not yet been revealed.

Beyond the initial four chapters, Costner does seemingly have some vision for the franchise’s future. In an interview with Collider, Costner revealed that he views the development of the American West as a “300-year process“ that features constant conflict, settling, and various adventures. While Costner does not directly discuss his interest in following up on the series with future chapters, he does describe the potential for future stories. Check out his full quote below:

The second movie is harder than the first. It doesn’t get easier for the people. It’s all connected. It travels about 12 years, and everybody gets older. It’s just baby steps in the settling of the West. The West was a 300-year process. It happened in inches because the land was contested the way it should have been. It should have been contested. And so most of the people coming out to the West didn’t have the capability of surviving out there. It was very difficult.

Will The Horizon Franchise Continue Past Chapter 4?

Horizon’s Survival Will Depend On The Audience Response

It is no surprise that Costner is already beginning to consider future ideas in the universe. After leaving Yellowstone and investing his own money into his four-part epic movie series, Costner has high hopes for the franchise’s success. Filming for Chapter 3 began a month before Chapter 1 received its wide release, which is a sign of his faith in the series. Unfortunately, the chances of Chapter 4 and any follow-up movies may have dimmed after the poor performance of the original Horizon movie.

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The box office and the critical and audience responses to the first movie make for an uphill climb to develop further installments. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is expected to earn under $20 million domestically in its opening weekend at the box office. Its opening day saw a total of under $5 million, which does not bode well for a movie with a $100 million budget. The sequel is also releasing in just under two months, which means that there is little chance of a long box office run that could help to recover that extensive budget. Horizon‘s generally bad reviews are also a worrying sign.

Critics have been largely muted in their response to Horizon: An American Saga —Chapter 1, sitting at a Rotten rating on 40% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. It has done considerably better with audiences, but its 68% rating is still not the excellent result that the three-hour Western was looking for. Its CinemaScore is also worrying, as it sits at a painful B-. Without overwhelmingly positive responses, word-of-mouth may be unexpectedly poor, and Horizon: An American Saga will need to improve at the box office and among critics before approving any future movies.

Source: Collider

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is a Western film directed by Kevin Costner, and sees him in the starring role. The film explores multiple generations surrounding the expansion of the American West before and after the Civil War. Horizon is the first in a series of four films, all of which were greenlit by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Director

Kevin Costner

Release Date

June 28, 2024

Studio(s)

New Line Cinema , Territory Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

Jon Baird , Kevin Costner

Cast

Kevin Costner , Sienna Miller , Sam Worthington , Luke Wilson , Giovanni Ribisi , Thomas Haden Church , Jena Malone , Abbey Lee , Michael Rooker , Danny Huston , Isabelle Fuhrman , Jeff Fahey , Will Patton , Tatanka Means , Ella Hunt , Jamie Campbell Bower

Runtime

181 Minutes

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