Kevin Costner Needs To Change His Horizon 2 Plans To Save His Epic Western Movie Saga From Oblivion

Following the disappointment that was Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, Kevin Costner must readjust his plans for the sequel, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, if he wants it to succeed. Costner has been working on his four-part epic Western film series for over 30 years. So, the saga's performance means a lot to him. Unfortunately, the first Horizon movie failed epically when it premiered in theaters in June 2024, putting the future of the franchise in jeopardy. Costner can still turn things around, though, even after Horizon 2's release was canceled following Horizon 1's poor box office.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 only grossed $38.7 million against around a $50 million budget and has a 51% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The initial release plan for the first two Horizon: An American Saga films was to debut them in theaters only months apart. Chapter 1 would premiere in June 2024 (and it did), while Chapter 2 would be released in August 2024. However, because Chapter 1 bombed at the box office, Chapter 2's theatrical premiere was delayed. Costner is likely trying to figure out how to best proceed with Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 to ensure it performs better than its predecessor.

What's The Latest On Horizon 2's Theatrical Release?

The Sequel Will Likely Be Released In 2025

As of the writing of this article, Kevin Costner's official plans for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 are unknown. The epic Western premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2024, and was screened at the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 7, 2025. As for a theatrical release, though, a date has not been set. After the first movie's streaming success, though, the release of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 could be right around the corner.

Horizon: An American Saga Movie	Release Date	Director	Writers	Status
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1	June 28, 2024	Kevin Costner	Jon Baird, Kevin Costner, and Mark Kasdan	Released
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2	2025	Kevin Costner	Jon Baird, Kevin Costner, and Mark Kasdan	Completed
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 3	TBD	Kevin Costner	Jon Baird, Kevin Costner, and Mark Kasdan	Filming
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 4	TBD	Kevin Costner	Jon Baird, Kevin Costner, and Mark Kasdan	In development

While speaking with Decider at the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Costner was hopeful about Horizon: An American Saga's future after becoming a global Netflix hit. Consequently, Chapter 2's theatrical premiere might be coming soon. Costner explained:

"I think it's interesting that the movie came out six months ago and people are still finding it with little push from anywhere. It's out there. It's standing amongst the biggest movies of the year, and it was streamed more than them. It tells me that people want to go places in their heart and their mind."

A Streaming Release Could Save Horizon 2, If Kevin Costner Allows It

Costner Wants A Theatrical Release

Given Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1's accomplishments on Netflix and Max, it stands to reason that Chapter 2 should be a streaming release instead of a theatrical one. Yes, Kevin Costner wants his epic saga to be prestigious enough for theaters. However, the evidence tells a different story. The first film performed much better on streaming, incentivizing platforms to want to be the sole home for the sequels.

As of late, Western series and movies have experienced significant success on streaming. Taylor Sheridan's TV shows are dominating Paramount+, while American Primeval was a hit for Netflix. There's evidently an audience (most older males) who want to watch TV series and films in the Western genre but can't make it to theaters to do so. Ultimately, this pattern suggests that Costner should throw out his initial theatrical release plan for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 and pivot to streaming.