'Horizon' Star Michael Rooker Says Kevin Costner Film Is Cinema, Not TikTok Crap

Michael Rooker says folks are sleeping on Kevin Costner 's new movie saga ... telling us the film is a throwback to classic Hollywood and a departure from the "crap" TikTok generation.

We got Michael, who stars in Kevin's new epic "Horizon: An American Saga -- Chapter 1," at LAX and our photog asked him about the film's poor box office opening.

Michael thinks one of the reasons Kevin's movie only grossed $11 million last weekend is because folks nowadays are used to short social media clips and 90-minute movies ... not real, quality films with deep characters and rich storylines.

'Horizon' has a 3-hour runtime but Michael says people need to wake up and see the film because it's "real cinema ... not TikTok crap."

KEVIN COSTNER THROUGH THE YEARS

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Kevin invested a ton of money into the film himself, and Michael says this may just have to be a slow burn ... with three more parts coming out, including part two fast approaching in August.

Seems like Kevin's "Yellowstone" fans haven't given him a ton of box office support yet ... and Michael also has a message for anyone who is upset KC is leaving the show.

Check out the clip ... Michael's quite the hype man.