Kevin Costner reacts to scrapped Horizon 2 theatrical release: ‘It didn’t have overwhelming success’

The first chapter in Costner’s partially self-financed Western saga flopped at the box office following its June release

Kevin Costner has commented on the scrapped plans to release part two of his Western epic Horizon: An American Saga in theaters.

The first Horizon film opened on June 28 but suffered a dismal reception from theater-goers, earning just $36m worldwide against a budget of $100m.

Costner said he spent around $38m of his own money to finance the production.

“[Part one] didn’t have overwhelming success,” Costner admitted to reporters at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday (September 7). “I’ve had a lot of movies that way, that have stood the test of time.”

He added that it was a “studio decision” to release Chapter Two six weeks after Chapter One, and “it became a studio decision to not.”

Back in July, New Line Cinema announced that the release of Chapter Two would be delayed from its original release on August 16 “in order to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of Horizon over the coming weeks.”

Kevin Costner is promoting ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ at Venice Film Festival (Getty Images)

Striking an optimistic tone in Venice, Costner said it had always been his intention to show the sequel at the Italian festival.

“I always wanted to come out with the movies about five, six months apart, and that was going to allow me to come to Venice… When it was six weeks, I wasn’t going to get to come here… But what happened is a miracle in life… My plan was always to bring it to Venice, and suddenly it has happened.”

Asked about the future of the saga, Costner explained: “If there’s anything that you expect from part two, you realize that two gets harder than one. It’s hard to go west. Three is the same thing. It gets harder. But I will tell you this, Chapter 3 is devastating. It’s devastating because you begin to know all these people and life keeps coming at them, and you will see that.”

He noted that he’s eager to move forward with Chapter 3: “I have to hurry and not let the rock fall back downhill. I’ve gotta go put my hands on it again and start to push it up. It’s a rope that I cannot let go of.”

He then became emotional, Deadline reported, before adding: “I don’t know how I’m gonna make 3 right now, but I’m gonna make it.”

Costner previously told Deadline that Chapter 2 is expected to be released before the end of the year.

Horizon, which Costner directed, co-wrote and stars in, is a four-part Western drama spanning 15 years amid the American Civil War.

It also stars Sienna Miller, Jamie Campbell Bower, Ella Hunt and Sam Worthington.

In a two-star review of the first film for The Independent, Geoffrey McNab wrote: “The first chapter in Kevin Costner’s four or possibly even five-part cowboy epic is the movie equivalent of a three-hour ride around a western theme park. If you’re a fan of Stetsons, stirrups and six-shooters – and if you have plenty of patience – you may enjoy the experience. But there’s a hell of a lot of waiting around before you get properly in the saddle.”