Kevin Costner ‘Horizon’ Bomb Fallout: 2nd Movie Pulled From Theaters

The August release date for the second episode of Kevin Costner's cinematic series Horizon has been canceled.

After the first movie's poor box office performance (it made only $22.6 million in its first two weekends), and after Costner allegedly put $38 million of his own money into the picture—mortgaging his own property to do so—the second movie will go straight to VOD on July 16 in addition to a still-to-be-announced theatrical release.

Costner has frequently stated that the film series was a personal passion of his, and he has attributed his departure from the hit drama series Yellowstone to the production of the films, which he both directed and starred in.

The first of four planned movies, Horizon, did poorly at the box office and received negative reviews from critics as well. The New York Post questioned, "Kevin Costner Quit Yellowstone For This?!" in the headline of its criticism, while The New Yorker stated that Horizon "goes west but gets nowhere." The film's three hours were noted by Entertainment Weekly, which also referred to several scenes as "dull as dirt."

The movie is "so expansive and incomplete that it resembles a modern television series awkwardly edited into feature form," according to Nick Schager, a critic for The Daily Beast's Obsessed.

According to reports, Costner is unfazed by the poor reviews and still intends to proceed with the next three movies, starting work on the third in August. "The audience response to Horizon and enthusiasm for seeing our story continue in Horizon 2 has been incredibly gratifying," his production firm said in a statement provided to THR.

A New Line representative told the website that the studios have noticed the film's poor reception because they are delaying the next movie's theatrical release to give viewers a "greater opportunity to discover the first installment of Horizon over the coming weeks."

Due to the last-minute change, theatergoers who had purchased advanced tickets for Horizon 2 will receive a refund.

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