Summary
Horizon: An American Sagagets a compelling defense from author Stephen King. Chronicling the expansion Westward in the years before and after the American Civil War, the new Western film sees Kevin Costner taking on duties as writer, director, producer, and star. Although it represents a major passion project for Costner, theHorizon: An American Sagacritics' reviewshaven’t been overly positive.
In a new post on X, formerly Twitter,KingdefendsHorizon: An American Sagafrom those celebrating its poor reviews and underwhelming box office. Check out his post below:
“Schadenfreude is ‘taking pleasure in another’s misfortune,'” King writes. “It perfectly describes many reactions I’ve read to Costner s [sic] HORIZON. Why in God’s name would anyone luxuriate in the failure of a film that isn’t a sequel or part of the, God save us, ‘Marvel universe?'”
Horizon’s Negative Reception Explained
How The Kevin Costner Movie Has Done At The Box Office
Although the project was decades-in-the-making, and Costner invested close to $40 million of his own money into it,Horizon: An American Sagalargely hasn’t impressed critics. While opinions vary,the consensus seems to be that the film is too meandering, too long, and that it feels too much like a TV series. Since the first installment is a three-hour opening chapter to what is supposed to be a four-part saga, it’s not hard to see why.
Horizon: An American Saga Cast & Character Guide
Kevin Costner has been working on his film Horizon: An American Saga for several years, but who are the main plays in the upcoming Western?
The negative reviews from critics have earnedHorizon: An American SagaaRotten Tomatoesscore of 40%. The 71% audience score and B-Cinemascoresuggest that viewers who actually saw the movie enjoyed it more, but these are still relatively mixed results. After weeks of predictions thatHorizonwould essentially crater at the box office, the film’s opening weekend largely proved these predictions correct, asthe film opened to $11 million on a budget of about $100 million. The soft audience scores suggest that the upcomingrelease ofHorizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2is in major trouble.
The Western hasn’t been a popular genre for decades now, andHorizon’s under-performance only cements this.
That being said, the film and Costner’s vision for the four-part saga is still commendable despite the first movie’s failure. In a theatrical landscape dominated by sequels and reboots, Costner’s Western is an original idea, and the sheer ambition of the project should be celebrated. Clearly, though, audience interest just isn’t there forHorizon: An American Saga. Even if Costner’s Western later becomes a hit on streaming, the muted box office makes it, unfortunately, less likely that such original projects will happen in the future.
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
Cast
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 is set in 1859, following families as they settle in territories from Wyoming to Kansas. The narrative centers around a cowboy on the run with a prostitute and a young boy after a deadly confrontation, exploring the challenges of life in the Old West.
