Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ Projected for Abysmal Box Office Opening

Kevin Costner’s new movie, Horizon: An American Saga — the first of a planned series — is projected for an abysmal box office opening. According to The Hollywood Reporter, one estimate has the Warner Bros. film opening at around $12 million — on the June 28-30 weekend — against Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Day One, which is projected to possibly take in up to $40 million.

Notably, Costner made the film by putting up $38 million of his own money, with another large portion of the movie’s budget financed through foreign sales by way of selling off rights in various territories. Altogether, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapters 1 and 2 are estimated to have cost around $100 million — not counting marketing costs. 

It’s unclear how the sequel releases will be handled if the first film underperforms at the box office, though Costner reportedly claims the current projections do not take into consideration his fanbase in the midwestern U.S.

A passion project for Costner, Horizon will be a series of four Western films that he stars in, co-wrote, produced, and directed. The films are set in pre- and post-Civil War America, and depict the expansion of the American West. The synopsis of the film reads that Horizon “explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won – and lost – through the blood, sweat and tears of many.”

In addition to the Yellowstone lead, Horizon: An American Saga features a hefty cast of acclaimed actors, such as Thomas Haden Church, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt and Jamie Campbell Bower. Chapter 2 will add Glynn Turman, Kathleen Quinlan, and Giovanni Ribisi.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is set to open in theaters on June 28, 2024, with Chapter 2 debuting just weeks later, on Aug. 16, 2024. Two more installments are on the docket as well, as Horizon – Chapter 3 was in production but was forced to halt due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes. The next two do not have announced premiere dates at this time.