Westerns are a film genre that has actually disappeared into obscurity. However, series like Yellowstone have given the genre a big boost. A western is set to hit the cinemas as a four-part series, but the initial prospects are not rosy.
What movie is it about? The film Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 will be released in cinemas in the summer. As the name suggests, the film is not a single film, but the beginning of a 4-part film series that is scheduled to end in the summer of 2025.
The unusual thing about the series is that the American release of Chapter 1 is in June, and that of Chapter 2 shortly thereafter in August. Chapters 3 and 4 are expected to follow in the summer of 2025. According to movieweb.com, Chapter 3 is already being filmed.
Of course, planning like this involves a lot of risk. If the first film flops, you’ve already spent money on the other series. The first reviews aren’t particularly positive either.
You can see a trailer for the film series here:
Horizon: An American Saga – Trailer for the new western with Kevin Costner
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Big stars in the genre renaissance
What is Horizon about? The series Yellowstone showed that the western genre can still do something. The neo-western was able to attract countless viewers to the television. Kevin Costner plays the lead role in the series. With Horizon we can now expect a classic western with Kevin Costner in the lead role.
Horizon seems to be a classic western. The four-part series is set to tell the story of the Civil War between 1861 and 1865. America’s expansion is an important part of the story. With Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington and Jena Malone, there are many good actors in the cast, along with Costner.
But what is the problem? On Rotten Tomatoes, the first part of the series has a moderate critics’ score of 43%. Many critics are bothered by the long-windedness of the 3-hour film, which, despite the many characters, does not tell much and seems more like the introduction to the series.
The Hollywood Reporter reports on the box office forecasts, which don’t look any better. The forecasts for the first weekend are only 12 million dollars. With a budget of over 50 million, that’s a bad sign. But things will be even worse for Chapter 2, which is opening just 2 months later.
The competition isn’t sleeping either. A Quiet Play: Day One is coming out on the same day and the financially promising Deadpool and Wolverine is coming out in July. If you look at films like The Fall Guy or Furiosa, other big films also flopped at the box office this year.
The frustrating thing about a flop would be that the film was financed independently. Costner himself put a lot into his passion project. Warner Brothers is only acting as a distributor in this case. Chapter 1 of Horizon will not be released in Germany until August 22, 2024. Until then, we will know how the film performed in the USA. A western legend recommends this film: Clint Eastwood raves about the best western he has ever seen – but hardly anyone knows the film