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Kevin Costner’s Big ‘Horizon’ Gamble Struggles With $4.1 Million Debut—As ‘A Quiet Place’ Hits Record

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Kevin Costner’s Big ‘Horizon’ Gamble Struggles With .1 Million Debut—As ‘A Quiet Place’ Hits Record

Topline

Academy Award-winning legend Kevin Costner’s western “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” put up a worse-than-expected performance in its opening Friday, grossing only $4.1 million on its way to a disappointing opening weekend—coming behind two major sequels, including John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place: Day One,” which posted a franchise record in its premiere on Friday.

Key Facts

New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” grossed $4.1 million at over 3,300 theaters in North America in Thursday previews and its Friday opening, Deadline and Variety reported, putting the three-hour Civil War-era western on pace to collect $11.3 million in its opening weekend.

That debut puts the weekend projection for “Horizon” below its initial $12 million estimate, a bust for Costner, who shoveled $38 million of his own money into producing the film, which has a reported $100 million production budget.

It also comes well behind the projected weekend box office total for “A Quiet Place: Day One,” which is predicted to take in $53 million over the weekend after a $22.5 million opening night.“

A Quiet Place: Day One,” the third in the horror franchise, beat out both of its predecessors in its premiere, over the $18.86 million the 2018 original grossed in its first day, and the $19.36 million “A Quiet Place Part II” made in its opening in 2021, according to Box Office Mojo.

Still, both movies fall short of Disney and Pixar’s sequel “Inside Out 2,” which is projected to make another $55 million to $59 million over the weekend at the domestic box office, adding to its massive $411.91 million U.S. gross since its release earlier this month—making it the biggest movie of the year.

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Key Background

Costner stars in and directs in “Horizon”—a movie that’s been in the works for 30 years—much like he did with 1991’s “Dances with Wolves,” which earned him an Academy Award for best picture and best director, as well as a nomination for best actor in a leading role. Costner, 69, has more recently starred in Paramount’s popular western drama “Yellowstone,” a series that won Costner a Golden Globe for best performance in a TV drama last year, as well as a nomination for ensemble cast by the Screen Actors Guild in 2022. “Yellowstone” had also been a highly lucrative gig for Costner, reportedly making him $1.3 million per episode, a job he walked away from to make “Horizon.”

How Are Critics Receiving ‘horizon’

Despite audience giving “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” a tepid 68% score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics on the site have been much more harsh, rating it a dismal 39%, making it one of the worst-reviewed movies of the year. Critics on Metacritic, meanwhile, scored the movie only slightly higher, at 46/100. The New York Times called the film—the first of a four-part franchise—“busy” and “decentered” with a “crowded cast” and “multiple story lines” that lack context in a nearly three-hour western. The Guardian added the movie feels “oddly listless” and “doesn’t get much done in the way of satisfying storytelling.”

Further Reading

ForbesTrouble On Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’: His Big Post-‘Yellowstone’ Gamble Could Go BustForbes‘Inside Out 2’ Zooms Past Its Prequel At Box Office-Could Be Fastest Animated Film To Hit $1 Billion

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