Kevin Costner in "Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1."
Kevin Costner’s embattled Western Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is taking a quick trip to digital streaming.
The first of Costner’s four planned Horizon chapters got off to a rough start in theaters on June 28, finishing at No. 3 at the domestic box office with $11 million in ticket sales.
Horizon tumbled out of the box office top five in its second weekend of release and made $5.4 million in theaters for a sixth place finish. To date, per The Numbers, Horizon has grossed $22.07 million in North American theaters and $1.16 million in international ticket sales for a worldwide tally of $23.3 million.
According to streaming tracker When to Stream, Horizon will debut on digital streaming via premium video on demand on July 16. The PVOD access will give viewers another option to see the film before Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 opens in theaters on August 16.
Like most PVOD releases, Horizon will be available for purchase or rent on several digital outlets including Prime Video and AppleTV+, VUDU and Google Play. Prime Video has the release date listed for July 15 at 9 p.m. PT, making it July 16 on the East Coast.
The platform has Horizon listed for pre-order for $24.99, which is generally a reflection of a film’s digital purchase price. Typically, digital rental prices on PVOD are $5 less, so viewers can expect to rent Horizon for a 48-hour period for $19.99. The rental period doesn’t start until a viewer begins watching the rental.
How Was ‘Horizon’ Received By Critics?
Co-written and directed by Kevin Costner, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 recounts the expansion of the American West around the time of the Civil War.
The film also co-stars Costner as part of the film’s large ensemble cast, which also includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Wase Chief, Danny Huston and Luke Wilson.
Rotten Tomatoes critics have collectively given Horizon a a 47% “rotten” rating based now on 123 reviews, while RT users have given the Western epic a 71% “fresh” Audience Score based on 1,000-plus verified user ratings.
Horizon’s production budget isn’t completely clear. Variety has reported that the film’s production budget was $100 million, while The Numbers said it is $50 million.
What is clear is that since Warner Bros. is only distributing the film, the Yellowstone star, per Variety, spent $38 million to help finance Horizon, and two private investors are covering the rest.
Variety also noted that Costner and his investors spent $30 million on Horizon’s prints and advertising budget.
