Kevin Costner can’t seem to get his numbers straight.
Originally, the actor said he only invested $20M of his own money on ‘Horizon’ and then claimed it was actually $38M. At Cannes, he told a confused Anne Thompson, via IndieWire, that it was $100M. Now he’s telling The New Yorker that it was $50M. The man is just pranking us at this point.
The current tracking numbers for ‘Horizon: Part 1’ have been as underwhelming as the reviews. Its opening weekend numbers are in the $10-13M range, but tracking rarely includes middle America, and that’s a crucial audience for Costner’s upcoming Western.
The question that’s on everybody’s mind is what happens if ‘Horizon: Part 1,’ set for release this Friday, bombs at the box-office? The second chapter is set for release in August, but if not many people show up for the first one, does Warner Bros still opt to release it theatrically or does it go straight to their streamer, MAX?
At Cannes, Costner stated he’d already shot nine days’ worth of footage on the third chapter, and that production had to “temporarily” be stopped for him to find more money to complete the film. “Where are all you brave, rich billionaires?” Costner recently told GQ. “I need somebody that’s impulsive, is emotional, has money, and wants to go west.”
The first installment, which premiered at Cannes to a 21 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is now at 47 percent. The reviews have been getting better. Maybe Cannes wasn’t the best place to premiere this one.
Costner’s been working on ‘Horizon’ for almost 40 years — he just needs the money to complete it. I really want him to reach the finish line with this one, and this comes from someone who wasn’t necessarily enamored by the first instalment.
If Costner wants to self-fund these films, then who should stop him from pursuing this valiant artistic endeavor? At this point, there’s nothing wrong in asking Russian oligarchs or Saudi royalty to invest. Anything to get to the finish line.