Kevin Costner's 'Horizon 2' August theatrical release canceled after first film's disappointing earnings
Kevin Costner's 'Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2' was slated for release on Aug. 16
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kevin Costner's "Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2" will not be following its original plan of debuting in theaters on Aug. 16.
Fox News Digital confirmed that Territory Pictures and New Line Cinema opted to delay the release of the second "Horizon" film in "order to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of ‘Horizon’ over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and Max."
The studio had planned an unusually fast back-to-back release for the two "Horizon" films, but after the first chapter collected a modest $23 million in its first two weeks in theaters, the distributor pivoted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Costner invested $38 million of his own money into "Horizon: An American Saga." In addition to starring in the feature film, he also directed "Horizon" based on a script he co-wrote with John Baird.
Kevin Costner co-wrote, directed and stars in "Horizon: An American Saga." (Warner Media)
"Horizon" will be available for streaming at home on Premium VOD on Tuesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Costner's return to the silver screen will showcase his deep admiration for the Western genre. After all, "Horizon" is a project he's been working on for nearly 30 years.
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On Wednesday, Costner took to Instagram and shared clips from his 1985 film, "Silverado," while addressing his new Western film series.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"39 years ago today we released Silverado into the world. It was a dream come true for me to be in a Western movie, and to have Lawrence Kasdan at the helm was the cherry on top," Costner's caption began.
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He concluded, "I hope that @horizonamericansaga is stirring hearts the way that this movie has stirred mine for nearly four decades."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A New Line spokesperson shared a statement with Fox News Digital about changing the release date for the second "Horizon" film.
Costner invested $38 million of his own money into "Horizon: An American Saga." (Warner Bros.)
"Territory Pictures and New Line Cinema have decided not to release ‘Horizon: Chapter 2’ on August 16 in order to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of 'Horizon' over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and Max. We thank our exhibition partners for their continued support as moviegoers across the U.S. discover the film in its theatrical run," the statement read.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Costner's Territory Pictures also shared a statement with Fox News Digital: "The audience response to ‘Horizon,’ and enthusiasm for seeing our story continue in ‘Horizon 2,’ has been incredibly gratifying. Kevin made this film for people who love movies and who wanted to go on a journey."
WATCH: KEVIN COSTNER SAYS HE'S ‘REALLY PROUD’ OF ‘HORIZON’ FILM
The statement continued, "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. 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.’"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A release date for "Horizon" on Max has not yet been shared.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.