Six months after flopping at the box office, Kevin Costner’s epic Western is a hit onNetflix’sglobal top 10 chart. The small-screen neo-WesternYellowstoneprovided Costner with his biggest starring role in years, at least until he elected controversially to leave the series. In addition to making the Oscar-winner a streaming headliner,Taylor Sheridan’s drama also served as a reminder of the iconic status its star attained back in the 1990s, thanks in large part to his work in Westerns.
Yellowstone’s John Dutton actor first donned spurs in 1985’sSilverado, but didn’t take to the trail again until 1990’sDances With Wolves. Serving as star and director this time, Costner found himself riding high at the Oscars thanks to the smash hit, winning Best Director and Best Picture. The newly-minted Western icon fumbled when trying to repeat that success, however.Wyatt Earplost its box office duel withTombstone, and the Western-inspired post-apocalyptic adventureThe Postmanwent down even harder. 2003’sOpen Rangegot Costner back in critics’ good graces, and was a modest theatrical success.
Costner’s Western Comeback Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 Hits Netflix’s Global Top 10
The Movie Grossed Just $38 Million At The Summer Box Office
Horizon: An American Sagagestated for decades before finally hitting screens in 2024 withChapter 1. By the time of that release, the original idea behind the saga had been expanded into what would be a four-film epic, with a planned overall budget of $100 million. Costner’s personal stakes couldn’t have been higher this time around, after he admitted to sinking $38 million of his own money into his dream project.Chapter 1failed to move the needle at the box office, however, grossing just a little more ($38.2 million) than Costner himself invested in the production.
Costner began developingHorizon’s script way back in 1988, and in 2022 was announced as director of the four-part series.
Thefirst installment in Costner’sHorizon: An American Sagamay indeed have tanked in theaters, butviewers are now finding it on streaming, landing the epic Western on Netflix’s Global Top 10 chart(viaTudum). The streamer reports that in its first week, Costner’s 3-hour franchise-launcher racked up 12 million viewing hours on 4 million views, placing it at #7.
Our Take On Horizon’s Netflix Performance
Costner Thinks The Four Movies Will Eventually Be Embraced As Classics
Horizon’s star/director faced a harsh response when the project was confirmed to be happening, as critics raced to brand his four-movie plan a folly. Costner quickly shot back at the naysayers, claiming that even if the first movie failed in its initial box office run, the full series would ultimately prove to have very, very long legs. As he toldE! Onlineback in August, 2024:
“I’ve faced life with people being dismissive of me. But they can’t be dismissive of Horizon, because now it’s out of their hands. And they might point to the finish line—well, this is what it did at the box office—but I know that this movie is going to play for the next 50 years.”
Eventual success may be in the cards forHorizon, but for Costner’s full epic four-parter to reach fruition, it needed immediate success. After the first installment’s weak box office performance, Warner Bros. delayed the release ofHorizon: An American Saga Chapter 2, which was supposed to come out in August. Another hit came when work onChapter 3was halted due to funding issues.
It’s yet to be seen whether all four parts ofHorizonwill ever come to pass.The project’s fate could indeed be in the hands of a streamer like Netflix, whose deep pockets could help CostnerfinishChapter 3and makeChapter 4. The films likely wouldn’t get a big theatrical release after that, but at least their creator would get to see his vision realized.Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1is off to a reasonably strong start on Netflix, and perhaps the suits there will keep their eye on its numbers, as they possibly consider partnering with Costner to finish up his sweeping historical saga.
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.
