The next chapter of Kevin Costner’s American Saga is on the horizon. In July, Costner’s Territory Pictures and distributor New Line Cinema announced that Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 — which had been set for an Aug. 16, 2024 release date — was being put out to pasture after the first chapter of the $50 million Western bombed at the box office over the June 28-30 weekend. In a statement, a New Line Cinema spokesperson said Horizon 2 was pulled from theatrical release “in order to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of Horizon over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and Max.”
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Horizon 2 eventually premiered out-of-competition at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 7, and it was announced today that the delayed sequel will hold its U.S. premiere during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Feb. 7. SBIFF will also host a post-screening Q&A with Costner, who wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the second chapter of the four-part Western epic.
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A free screening of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is set for 2:00 p.m., followed by the Horizon 2 premiere at 6:00 p.m. at the Arlington Theatre. Costner will participate in a second Q&A following a showing of the behind-the-scenes documentary Beyond the Horizon within the SBIFF Film Center at 8:20 p.m. on Feb. 13.
The Horizon 2 release date in theaters has not yet been announced. Parts one and two, which shot back-to-back, were originally slated to release just weeks apart — Chapter 1 on June 28, and Chapter 2 on August 16 — until the first installment wrangled just $11 million in its opening weekend, finishing third at the domestic box office behind Inside Out 2 and A Quiet Place: Day One. Horizon: Chapter 1 became available digitally on Premium VOD on July 16 and ultimately finished its six-week run in theaters with $38 million.
Horizon found an audience on Max and eventually on Netflix, where it climbed to No. 2 on the Netflix Top 10 after premiering on the platform in December.
“The audience response to Horizon, and enthusiasm for seeing our story continue in Horizon 2, has been incredibly gratifying,” Costner’s Territory Pictures said in a July statement. “Kevin made this film for people who love movies and who wanted to go on a journey. The support that we have received from film fans, and the theater owners, as they experience the first chapter of this saga only serves to reinforce our belief in them and the films that we have made, and we thank them for coming on board for the ride.”
The statement continued, “We welcome the opportunity for that window to be expanded as we know it will only serve to enhance the experience of seeing Horizon 2.“
The three-hour first chapter of Kevin Costner’s epic western saga — which stars Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Jamie Campbell Bower, Will Patton, and Costner — follows a group of families, friends, and foes over the course of the Civil War. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is now streaming on Max and Netflix.
