Kevin Costner’s underrated 2024 Western becomes Netflix hit after flopping in theaters
Kevin Costner’s most recent Western was an infamous flop in theaters, but the movie is now finding a sizeable audience on Netflix.
While theWesternmight not be the most fashionable genre of the last few decades,Kevin Costnerhas been on a one-man crusade to keep oaters in cinemas.
His first Western was Silverado, a light 1985 entry in the genre that helped turn him into a star. Costner then directed and starred inDances With Wolves, which became a commercial and critical smash, while also winning seven Academy Awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture.
Wyatt Earp and Open Range followed, as did acclaimed TV seriesHatfields and McCoys, but then it was all quiet on the Western front, until Horizon…
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is a Netflix hit
Horizon was a big gamble for Kevin Costner, one that initially failed to pay off. As covered in our article on2024’s biggest movie trends, Costner decided to split the epic tale into multiple parts, and reportedly ploughed $40 million of his own money into the project.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 debuted in Cannes to middling reviews, and hit cinema screens in June, where it made just $38.2 million, from a budget of around $50 million. When you factor in press and advertising, that’s a big loss.
Which is a shame, as we were fans of the first movie, writing in ourHorizon reviewthat “despite its lulling pacing and scattered story, there is some pleasure to be found in the film’s moving sincerity and what it says about big, bold labors of love.”
But all might not be lost for the franchise, as Chapter 1 quickly becameMax’s top moviewhen it dropped on the streamer. Horizon then debuted on Netflix on June 06, 2025, and has since loitered around the top of the charts, with the film currently sitting in fourth position.
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Which bodes well forHorizon Chapter 2, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival and is set to hit screens sometime in 2025. As well as Chapter 3, which commenced principal photography last May.
Indeed Costner also wants to shoot Chapter 4, and the more eyeballs watch that first installment on Netflix, the more chance his dream might become a reality.
For more Horizon, here’sKevin Costner on why Chapter 1 flopping doesn’t matter, plus our thoughts on theterrible decision that spoils the end of Horizon.
