Kevin Costner became a household name in “Yellowstone,” attracting millions of fans to watch the epic tale of a Montana ranch.
But when it came to the opening of Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” the reaction was more muted, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Costner walked away from “Yellowstone” amid talk of a feud with Taylor Sheridan, the show’s creator, to make “Horizon,” which has involved a commitment of millions of his own money.
The $100 million film’s opening weekend brought in $11 million, which equates to about 1 million people in the seats, entertainment research firm EntTelligenc estimated.
The next installment of Costner’s four-piece film is set to open on Aug. 16, with The Hollywood Reporter saying there are no plans to change that based upon the opening weekend.
The film had its greatest success among viewers over 55 and those in mountain areas, the South, the Midwest and South Central, but the Hollywood Reporter opined that “that demo isn’t enough to support a big-budget event pic.”
However, Comscore chief box office analyst Paul Degarabedian said it is too soon to sing a dirge over the film.
“The streaming potential down the road is huge for this franchise,” he said, adding the four-part epic “has appeal among the older demographics, for whom this type of movie is in their wheelhouse.”
During an interview last month with CBS host Gayle King, Costner side-stepped questions on any feud.
Do you like “Yellowstone”?
“[People] say because of ‘Horizon,’ it caused problems for you on ‘Yellowstone,’” King said.
“People say this about the two of you: both big egos, both very powerful, both at the top of their game, and that right now, maybe you two are playing a game of whose is bigger? Do you see it that way? Whose is bigger, Kevin?”
“I love the show. I loved the show before anybody. It was Taylor and myself. The truth never changes — that love was really strong. The idea of going back — I would do that in a second, if I felt that it was … If it was something that I could do, wanted to do, I would make it fit,” Costner said.
“If it’s not that hard, why can’t the two of you be able to work it out?” she asked.
“This isn’t therapy, Gayle, I mean we’re not gonna discuss this on the show. … I mean, honestly,” Costner said.
Costner told Entertainment Weekly in an interview that appeared on the movie’s opening weekend that he is happy with what he made.
“I’ve lived with movies and what happens to them on their opening weekend,” he said. “If we put so much pressure on that, we’re bound to be disappointed. I’m really happy that ‘Horizon’ looks like what it’s supposed to look like, and that’s the way it’ll look the rest of its life. And that’s really important to me in this process.”
“Would I love that it would be highly, highly successful? Of course, I’d like that. My ego would like that; everyone would like that. But I am happiest that the movie that you and I are talking about looks the way I want it to look,” he said.
Costner said the saga is based on the reality of how the West evolved.
“I just know inherently, intuitively, that every town in America started like this,” he said. “Somebody put a stake in the ground for some reason, and Native Americans had their homes in the best places along the river. So, it’s not surprising that we come along and go, ‘God, this is a really nice place.’ It’s not based on true stories, but everything I’m doing happened a million times.”
