Had everything gone to plan, Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2 would already be playing in movie theaters, hoping to add to a solid box office haul for Kevin Costner's epic western to set up even more movies based around these characters in the near future. Instead, Horizon: An American Chapter 1 is now streaming on Max in the hopes of finding a larger audience and getting some clarity on the potential franchise's future.
Premiering on Max on August 23, Horizon: An American Saga was written, directed and stars Costner in a story that features multiple characters and storylines that chronicle the expansion and settlement of the West. In addition to Costner, the Horizon cast includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt and Jamie Campbell Bower.
There was a lot of excitement and intrigue around Horizon before it came out. The movie was reportedly a key factor in Costner not returning for the final episodes of Yellowstone season 5 (which in turn sped up the ending of the series), and the plan to release the first two "chapters" of the planned multi-film story in such quick succession (June 28 for Chapter 1, August 16 for Chapter 2) was something we hadn't seen in Hollywood in a while. We went as far as to rank it as our most anticipated summer blockbuster movie of 2024. Then the wheels started to come off.
Critics were divided on the movie, with it being rated positive by 48% of reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes, which does classify it as "Rotten;" check out what we thought with our official Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 review. Though audiences were kinder to it, as 70% of viewers on Rotten Tomatoes liked it (still not enough for the site's new "Verified Hot" distinction).
The box office wasn't any better. To date, Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 has made $34.3 million worldwide off a reported budget of $100 million. Those numbers led to Warner Bros. opting to remove Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2 from the release calendar. It's still not clear when the second part is going to be released, though the movie is expected to have its world premiere as part of the 2024 Venice Film Festival in September.
All of this has made Horizon look like a bad bet for Kevin Costner. But with its presence on streaming that could start to change. Max subscribers who opted not to pay the price of a movie ticket to see Horizon in theaters may be more willing to give it a try now that it is included in the library. And if the Rotten Tomatoes trend continues, then general audiences may enjoy the movie more than critics.
That's certainly what Warner Bros. is hoping for, saying when they first delayed Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2 that they wanted to give the first movie a wider runway to find its audience. Should the movie prove a popular play on Max, more people may then be encouraged to see the continuation of the story with Chapter 2 if and when it opts to come out in theaters (the Venice Film Festival premiere makes it seem like the powers that be want to still give the movie every chance to succeed).
So, if you want to finally give Horizon: An American Saga a try then you can do so on Max right now (subscription required). Here’s the trailer to give you a peek:
