Kevin Costner’s Risky Western Franchise Plan Makes More Sense After This $953 Million Epic

Summary

• Kevin Costner’s
  Horizon
  movies can ride off the success of
  Oppenheimer
  given their similar appeal.
• Audiences crave “event” movies, and
  Horizon
  could be the summer epic to fulfill that desire.
• Horizon’s
  two-part theatrical release gives it a unique but risky strategy to attract audiences.

Kevin Costner’s upcoming Western series, Horizon: An American Sagahas a risky, unique release plan, but it could make sense after one of 2023’s biggest hits. The 69-year-old actor has been active in the film industry for over 40 years, though he’s recently seen a late-career popularity surge due to the hit Western series Yellowstone. Before that, he’s starred in some of the best Western movies ever made. Kevin Costner’s name is synonymous with the Western genre, and he hopes to redefine it again in 2024 with an exciting frontiersman epic.

The Western genre saw its golden age in the 1950s and 1960s, and it’s struggled to find a place in the cinematic landscape since. Neo-Westerns like No Country For Old Men and Django Unchained are among the great modern Western movies, offering a grittier perspective on the classic genre. Kevin Costner’s Horizon film series seems to be returning to the genre’s roots, mixing modern filmmaking techniques with the awe-inspiring, epic-scale of classic Westerns. He has a risky plan, but its success could mean an exciting new era for the genre.

Kevin Costner’s Horizon Movies Could Be This Summer’s Oppenheimer

Horizon: An American Saga Will Be A Gritty, Epic-Length Western Historical Epic

If not for 2023’s trend-setting year in movies, a high-budget Western film might not have a chance to succeed at the box office. The 2010s, in particular, were harsh toward historical dramas, Westerns, and really most movies not connected to a larger franchise. However, with Oppenheimer becoming such a colossal cinematic event, movies like Horizon have a better chance of being hits. Despite Kevin Costner’s name, Horizon probably won’t be reaching Oppenheimer numbers, but it could still make a significant enough number to profit and expand into a grander series.

It could be the gritty historical epic that fulfills 2024’s
Oppenheimer
void.

Horizon: An American Saga should expect a significant box office pull from the massive amount of Yellowstone fans. Also, there are some parallels between Oppenheimer and Horizon that may make it appealing to modern moviegoers. Both are prestigious, high-production value epics with major thematic explorations of American history. Horizon also has an impressive ensemble cast featuring some familiar names like Luke Wilson, Sam Worthington, and Jena Malone. It could be the gritty historical epic that fulfills 2024’s Oppenheimer void.

Oppenheimer’s $953 Million Box Office Demonstrated A Market For “Event” Movies

Horizon Can Meet Audience Desires For Fresh, Original Stories From Passionate Filmmakers

Oppenheimer’s success comes from two primary factors: the cultural phenomenon of “Barbenheimer” prompting viewers to go to the theaters for a double feature and the practically unanimous praise for Christopher Nolan as one of the world’s most celebrated directors. Those are both specific factors, neither of which Horizon has going for it, but the audience’s desire at the root of them is a craving for exciting, original stories told by filmmakers who are passionate about the material. That aligns perfectly with Kevin Costner and Horizon.

Kevin Costner may not be as well-regarded as Nolan as a director, but he’s made a Best Picture-winning Western in Dances with Wolves. He’s also been extraordinarily passionate about Horizon for decades, pursuing the story since the late ’80s. As a grand-scale epic passion project, it has all the makings for an “event” movie like Oppenheimerwith the prospect of something fresh and exciting naturally drawing audiences to theaters. Horizon could also perfectly blend that fresh originality with a treat for fans of classical Westerns.

Kevin Costner’s Horizon Movies Have A Risky Release Plan

There Will Be Two Horizon Movies In 2024

The main reason Kevin Costner’s Horizon movies are such a risk is that not one but two films will be released in the summer of 2024. Horizon: An American Saga will be released on June 28, and Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 will be out on August 16. Kevin Costner is planning to expand Horizon with even more sequels, but the success of the first two will determine the possibility of making more. Costner has also self-funded a significant portion of the project, meaning there’s a lot at stake for the actor aside from just standard credibility.

The recent Dune movie is an example of how a franchise can grow in popularity, increasing its box-office success with subsequent installments. But Dune had over two years between films for viewers to get caught up on streaming. Horizon will only have a one-month span to generate traction, and the second film will be largely dependent on the success of the first. For the plan to succeed, the first movie practically needs to generate widespread attention, getting people so excited for the Horizon saga, knowing that they’ll be treated to two feature films in a short time span.