Kevin Costner's Reaction to 'Horizon' Box-Office Disappointment Might Surprise You

While many actors would be down and out after an abysmal weekend at the box office, Kevin Costner had a reaction that might surprise his fans. He sees his four-part film franchise , Horizon: An American Saga , in a very different light than the Hollywood studios.

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The 69-year-old actor broke his silence to E! News about the disappointing $11 million opening weekend for Horizon, Chapter 1 in June. “I’ve faced life with people being dismissive of me,” Costner said confidently. “But they can’t be dismissive of Horizon , because now it’s out of their hands. And they might point to the finish line—well, this is what it did at the box office—but I know that this movie is going to play for the next 50 years.”

Even though the second part was erased from the summer movie schedule, he’s buoyed by a new strategy. New Line Cinema and Costner’s production company, Territory Pictures, released the first part on VOD where it shot to No. 1 on the charts in late July, per Screen Rant . The second chapter was admitted as a late entry into the Venice Film Festival and will premiere on Sept. 7 with the first chapter playing earlier in the day. He described it as a “nice development.”

Despite Costner’s optimism that his films will succeed in a non-traditional way, a Life & Style source claimed that he is “ in a world of pain ” after Yellowstone audiences failed to show up at the movie theaters for him. “For all his bravado, he’s terrified Horizon will bleed him dry, and he’ll lose a huge chunk of savings,” they added. After investing $38 million of his own money into the venture, he knew it was a risky move.

He told Francis Ford Coppola in a Deadline interview in May that his self-financing move “has thrown my accountant into a f**king conniption fit. But it’s my life, and I believe in the idea and the story.” Finance expert Eric Schiffer told Fox Business ahead of the movie’s release that Costner investing his own money was “ the financial kiss of death. ” He thinks the Oscar winner is asking too much of his fans — they don’t want to sit for hours and hours watching a four-part film series. “When you think of binging, and you do it perhaps at the house, you’re alone. You have privacy, you have perhaps your loved ones and the ability to break and do other things,” Schiffer noted. “To sit in a movie theater, even if there’s a small intermission, it sounds like Costner needs to be paying people to go.”

Costner disagrees with Schiffer’s sentiments, but the Venice Film Festival will be the real test of the actor’s draw in Hollywood.

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