Kevin Costner, known for his role as John Dutton in Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, has been making waves on Netflix lately.
Despite receiving a lukewarm response from fans, Costner’s 2024 drama Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 has found success on the streaming giant.
The Western saga, planned to be the first in a four-part series, received a modest 51% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it appears there may be more chapters on the horizon.
This comes after An American Saga’s disappointing box office performance, grossing only $38.2 million against a reported budget of $50 million following its June release.
Now, the film, which was shot concurrently with the second installment, has been given a second chance on Netflix, reports the Irish Star.
As per Digital Spy, it has held a spot in the top 10 of Netflix’s global rankings for the past week – despite being available exclusively to US viewers.
Currently, it sits in seventh place with four million streams, trailing behind films like the Christmas hit Carry-On, which holds the top spot with 17.4 million streams.
Given its high ranking on Netflix, the film, once considered a total flop, could be experiencing a revival.
The second chapter was yanked from the schedule just a month before its slated August release due to the movie’s box office failure. But could the tides be turning?
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Horizon: An American Saga, features an ensemble cast including Sienna Miller and Danny Huston, tracing lives in the Midwest during the tumultuous times of the Civil War.
Rotten Tomatoes offers a glimpse into the story with its synopsis, which reads: “Families, friends and foes discover the lure of the Old West as the Civil War divides the country.”
While Kevin Costner’s Western drama might be gaining some recognition, not everyone is sold on it. A number of viewers have criticized it for its pacing, tagging the series as “too slow”.
The Critics Consensus at Rotten Tomatoes reflects mixed reception, acknowledging Costner’s vision with a critic score of 51% and audience score of 70%, but noting: “Kevin Costner doesn’t lack for ambition as he sketches this frontier saga across the widest of canvases, but Horizon’s first chapter proves too diffuse in scope for it to satisfy as a self-contained endeavor.”
Despite a reasonable score from audiences, reviews seem to paint a less favorable picture. Disappointed fans are voicing their discontent with critical remarks on the narrative’s progress.
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“Sorry Kevin – so boring and disappointing,” one fan apologetically wrote in their review, while another complained: “Slow, characters never developed.”
“Dull and slow and did not leave me anticipating the next chapter,” another penned, while a fourth lamented: “Oooofff. All over the place and hard to follow. I had such high hopes. If chapter two is ever released, I may watch it out of morbid curiosity. This is a tough watch.” (sic)
“Horrible …storyline is disconnected and all over the place. Script was nonsensical. It’s hard to watch hard follow and waste of 3 hours,” another fan agreed.
One more fan savagely added: “I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone. If you want to waste 3 hours of your time, watching a bag decompose in a grocery store parking lot might be more entertaining.”
However, some people really liked the film, with one viewer writing: “An amazing movie, sure it isn’t fast paced, but people you need to work on your attention spans, good movies shouldn’t be constant action!”
Another satisfied fan enthused: “It’s something about westerns I’ve loved throughout my life, and this film is no exception. Kevin Costner is an extremely talented filmmaker, and I hope he gets to realize his dream and finish this story.”
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Reacting to the film’s surge in attention after hitting Netflix, a representative for Costner’s Territory Pictures couldn’t hide their joy at the newfound success.
“The audience response to Horizon, and enthusiasm for seeing our story continue in Horizon 2, has been incredibly gratifying,” they stated.
They divulged: “Kevin made this film for people who love movies and who wanted to go on a journey. The support that we have received from film fans, and the theatre owners, as they experience the first chapter of this saga, only serves to reinforce our belief in them and the films that we have made, and we thank them for coming on board for the ride.”
They further stated: “We welcome the opportunity for that window to be expanded, as we know it will only serve to enhance the experience of seeing Horizon 2.”
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is streaming on Netflix in the US. Viewers in the UK can buy the movie on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Sky Store or Microsoft Store.
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