Kevin Costner's New Western Struggle Makes His Yellowstone Exit Look Even Worse
Thanks to a growing list of issues for the forthcoming film, Kevin Costner's well-publicized departure from the immensely popular Western drama Yellowstone for his passion project Horizon: An American Saga looks to be a bad choice. Designed to be a four-part epic, Horizon: An American Saga will see Parts 1 and 2 released just six weeks apart in the summer of 2024 and filming for Part 3 currently under way. But before the first film ever opens theatres, the whole saga's destiny might be in risk.
Thanks in part to a run of negative reviews for Horizon: An American Saga - Part 1, the film is likely to be a huge Box Office fail. With Costner offering a significant sum of his own money to make the movie a reality, Horizon's budget has apparently swelled to $100 million for only the first two parts. Sadly, the first in his four-movie series is expected to barely cover the whole budget, and leaving his hit Taylor Sheridan program could reveal that Costner made a grave error.
The projected box office struggles of Horizon explained
Early box office estimates for Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 have plummeted drastically over time; the most recent estimates show that the movie will just draw in $12 million on its first weekend. For the vast Western epic tale, that would be a terrible beginning since the film would be on schedule to maybe lose money from the start. While filming the third part is under progress, should the Box Office forecasts prove accurate, the series runs the risk of never being finished.
The way the film is set as a classic Western just might not appeal to the public to be a box office hit in 2024. Bad early reviews merely contribute to explain Horizon's impending disappointment. With many blockbusters failing original expectations, notably Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Fall Guy, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, the American box office has been especially weak in 2024. Given that Horizon's target market most certainly includes those three films, they are quite pertinent to the movie.
Horizon's Box Office Projections Make Kevin Costner's Decision To Leave Yellowstone Look Badder
Stories of behind-the-scenes problems at Yellowstone varied from excessive schedule and financial demands on the side of Costner to acrimonious conflicts between Costner and the show's creator, Taylor Sheridan. Although some of those components might have had a part, Costner left for Horizon: An American Saga because he wanted to pursue that project. Many who felt that leaving a very popular prestige drama to pursue what many perceived as a risky vanity project was a bad idea questioned his mid-season withdrawal from the show.
The Highest-Grossing Movies by Kevin Costner
Film; Release Date; Revised Box Office Total
---|---:|---
Dances with Wolves 1990 | $366.6 million
Prince of Thieves, Robin Hood, 1991 | $329.8 million
1992 | $246.8 million The Bodyguard
Waterworld | 1995 | $170.2 million
The Untouchables 1987 | $163.6 million
For Costner, leaving Yellowstone for Horizon always carried the possibility of personal disaster. Now, given declining critical reception and box revenue expectations, his choice seems even more ill-considered. Based on the initial 7-season schedule, Yellowstone is likely to end early even if the last half-season airs in late 2024. Costner has since said he's open to going back to the program, but his part in the last season is still unknown and seems to be, if any at all, small.
Does Kevin Costner's Horizon Movies have any more promise?
Lack of awareness, bad reviews, and low box office forecasts for Horizon: An American series throw question on whether the series will be completed at all. Though there may be hope for the four-part series, the large and amazing ensemble of Horizon most likely won't be sufficient to entice viewers to the theaters. It will require legs at the box office to stand any hope of continuing since Costner cannot finance the completion of the movie without the support of a good box office performance from the first two sections.
Ironically, Yellowstone is one of the likely rescuers of Horizon: An American Saga. The amazing popularity of the show demonstrated that Western drama still appeals to the modern viewing population and the same crowd could be turned out for Horizon. Although the possibilities for Horizon: An American Saga seem bleak, that audience's knowledge and love for Costner could help to get them to the theater for the first half.
Kevin Costner's Horizon: A View Both Ahead and Back
Horizon: An American Saga - Kevin Costner directed a Western film in which he stars Chapter 1 The movie looks at several generations both before and after the Civil War around the spread of the American West. Horizon is the first of four movies Warner Bros. Pictures approved. All four of them were greenlit.
One of Kevin Costner's professional turning points was the publication of Horizon: An American Saga. His passion project is the movie, which marks a return to the Western genre that has been fundamental for his success. Still, the future of Horizon is unknown given the early reviews and box office forecasts of the movie. Although the movie has the potential to be an epic, its success will rely on its capacity to touch viewers and overcome obstacles.
