Having a film bomb so badly in the cinema that the company funding it tries to sue has to be an all-new low for Kevin Costner. The Horizon passion project he reportedly mortgaged acres of land for has tanked, and the moneymen want their pay cheque.
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I don't know what's sadder. The fact that Horizon was called Chapter 1 implies a second, third, and even fourth, or that Kevin Costner believed so much in the project, he was willing to put property on the line. His belief was so deep that he even upset Yellowstone fans by dipping out of the show halfway through a season to work on Horizon.
His faith was misplaced. The film that apparently cost $100 million to make has flopped, taking in only $11 million on its opening week. That does not bode well for the investors.
City National Bank is filing a lawsuit against both New Line Cinema and Horizon Series, claiming that they have not paid back their agreed share of the financing. However, New Line Cinema is claiming it paid its portion, and the missing money is Horizon Series' responsibility.
Kevin Costner Needs To Pull More Than Money Out To Revive 'Horizon'
It's safe to say that Horizon bombed, which is part of the reason for the lawsuit. They didn't make enough money, coming in at only around 10% of the initial cost after opening weekend. Costner still has faith in his planned four-part film series, though.
Besides Dances With Wolves back in 1990, Costner hasn't had too much experience directing. Sure, he's been in some incredible movies, but directing is a whole new ball game. It seems he's bitten off more than he can chew with Horizon.
The film comes in at an eye-wateringly long 181 minutes and is only the first of four films. I think this is the core of its problems. There aren't many people willing to sit through a three-hour epic unless it's directed by a legend like Scorsese or it's a Marvel movie.
Many of the critics noted that there are some great themes and an intriguing storyline throughout. But, it would have served better as a TV Series. We simply don't have the attention span for three hours of western. Only Marvel gets away with that, and that's because it's basically just a fireworks show.
