Kevin Costner‘s return to the director’s chair with Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 has not been met with open arms. After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, the film was met with overwhelmingly negative reviews from major outlets like Variety, Screen Rant, and The Hollywood Reporter. Much like its predecessor, Chapter 1, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year to mixed reactions, Chapter 2 seems to be suffering from similar issues. The consensus? This sprawling, multi-part saga may have been better suited for television rather than the big screen.
One of the major concerns revolves around Costner’s decision to stick with a theatrical release strategy despite offers from streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. Given the first film’s underperformance — Horizon: Chapter 1 grossed a mere $29 million domestically against a $110 million budget — Costner’s gamble to keep Chapter 2 in cinemas might prove costly. In fact, Warner Bros. even pulled the film from its original August release schedule, and as of now, no new release date has been announced.
Costner’s ambition for Horizon can’t be denied, as he plans to begin shooting Chapter 3 later this year. However, funding issues have already caused delays, and there’s no clear path for distribution at the moment. Despite shooting nine days of footage back in April, it remains uncertain if Chapter 3 will even see the light of day.
At its core, Horizon feels like a passion project, but with two installments struggling to capture critical and commercial success, the saga’s future is hanging in the balance. Could this be Costner’s most significant miscalculation, or will future chapters turn the tide? Only time will tell.
