Kevin Costner said he is proud of his film "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter One," even if it flopped at the box office.
The actor, 69, wrote, directed, and starred in the film, which marks the first installment of his new Western series. Despite the hype surrounding the project, it raked in only $32 million on a $100 million budget, which included nearly $38 million of Costner's own money, the New York Post reported.
Its underwhelming success did not affect Costner's enthusiasm, which he shared during an interview with E! News.
"I've faced life with people being dismissive of me," he said. "But they can't be dismissive of 'Horizon,' because now it's out of their hands."
Costner added that the film would live on for years to come despite its poor performance.
"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," he continued.
"There's a moment in time where you want [your children] to see this movie to understand that this is what their [ancestors] went through. It's not just a Western; it's a history of migration and what they had to do to survive. And I'm really proud of it."
The "Horizon" series, planned as a four-part film saga, was initially scheduled to release its next installment, "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter Two," in theaters on Aug. 16. However, amid the disappointing performance of "Chapter One," the sequel's theatrical release has been canceled and will instead make its debut at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 7, alongside a screening of the first movie.
"That was a nice development over there," Costner said to E! News. "They understand that it's a saga."
The former "Yellowstone" star added that the way things unfolded was how he had originally intended.
"I didn't ever imagine [the releases] six weeks apart. It was always four months or six months. But the studio saw an opportunity. They thought it could be something. I don't feel that anymore," he said.
"I don't really fall out of love with something I feel strongly about. Until somebody convinces me otherwise it needs to go in another direction, that doesn't happen," Costner added of the project.
"I feel like my job is to bring something original to people. And it's really hard to make a good Western."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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