“That’s what they’d have you believe”: Kevin Costner Debunks a Hollywood Myth Claiming His Horizon Saga Will Live On Even After Theatrical Run

The first chapter of Kevin Costner’s passion project Horizon: An American Saga is set to premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival ahead of its official release, and the actor is confident that the four-part film series will captivate audiences. Set during the Civil War era, Costner’s ambitious Western saga revolves around the expansion of the American West.

In his recent interview, he reflected on the substantial budget, nearing $100 million for the first two installments, with expectations for it to grow further by the series’ conclusion. However, when asked about the challenge of maintaining audience engagement beyond the first chapter, the Oscar winner dismissed any concerns, arguing that the film would continue to resonate with the audience even after its theatrical run.

Kevin Costner is Looking Beyond Box Office Numbers For Horizon’s Success

Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis and Kevin Costner’s Horizon Saga have recently been in discussion, not only because both are passion projects of some of the highly acclaimed filmmakers in the industry, but also due to both Coppola and Costner have significantly self-financed these movies.

Concerns have arisen regarding the potential box office performance of these films, significantly for the Horizon saga, as Chapter 1 is set to be followed by three sequels. And establishing a positive foundation is crucial to sustaining viewer engagement for the subsequent films.

When asked about the potential risk of losing the viewers’ interest only after the first film, Costner highlighted the long-term ownership and potential profitability of his project. He told Deadline, “Well, the reality of that is the film lives and whatever are the viewing habits, I own it for the rest of its life.”

He further highlighted the advantage of owning the rights to the film, saying,

“Would you want to own these two pieces for the rest of your life? Hell yeah. And every five years, license them around the world. Relicense them here in America. The difference is I own that, because of the risk I’ve taken.”

And the filmmaker doesn’t seem too concerned about the movie potentially lacking at the box office, as he shared that he is looking beyond box office numbers for the film’s success and does not want to limit its commercial success to its opening weekend.

Kevin Costner Challenges ‘Death of the DVD’ Narrative

While box office collections significantly contribute to a film’s financial success, many movies generate additional profits through various distribution channels, such as VOD, streaming agreements, international sales, and DVD/Blu-ray purchases.

And it’s not a surprise that Kevin Costner is well aware of such aspects. However, when asked about the “death of DVD,” the actor denied the notion, suggesting that it has been exaggerated. “DVD is not dead, at all. That’s what they’d have you believe,” he told Deadline during the interview.

While he admitted that they might not make as much money as they once did, Costner also emphasized there is a reason why the studios remain hesitant to relinquish control over physical media sales. He also argued that many of his fans rely on DVDs.

He told Deadline,

“A lot of people that like my movies, they can’t get to a theater, and they’re waiting for that moment. You can’t make your film for the opening weekend. You have to make it for its life.”

Confident in his stance, the actor expressed enthusiasm about continuing work on the third installment in the Horizon film series, which he has planned and is creating keeping longevity in mind with anticipating sustained returns in the future.

Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 is set to release on June 28, 2024.