Kevin Costner is manifesting a different box-office destiny for his Western \u201cHorizon: An American Saga \u2013 Chapter 1.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The writer\/director\/producer\/star of the largely-self-funded feature told Entertainment Weekly that he is not concerned with the opening weekend numbers at the box office, just so long as his four-film vision is released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve lived with movies and what happens to them on their opening weekend,\u201d Costner said. \u201cIf we put so much pressure on that, we\u2019re bound to be disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He continued, \u201cI\u2019m really happy that \u2018Horizon\u2019 looks like what it\u2019s supposed to look like, and that\u2019s the way it\u2019ll look the rest of its life. And that\u2019s really important to me in this process. Would I love that it would be highly, highly successful? Of course, I\u2019d like that. My ego would like that; everyone would like that. But I am happiest that the movie that you and I are talking about looks the way I want it to look.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The interview was conducted before \u201cHorizon\u201d was released in theaters. The film earned $11 million its opening weekend. Its budget is estimated to be in the $100-million range, with Costner spending approximately $38 million of his own money to finance the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHorizon\u201d will be a four-film franchise created by Costner. Warner Bros. is set to release the second on August 16; Costner is in production on the third movie this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Costner was determined to have a theatrical release for both films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where I belong,\u201d Costner told IndieWire\u2019s Anne Thompson. \u201cAnd I also felt that I have to look at things from a monetary standpoint, because I have so much invested, that I didn\u2019t want to throw that window away. But artistically, I thought it should be on the big screen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Costner told Thompson that he invested $100 million of his own money for \u201cHorizon\u201d 1 and 2. And he\u2019s just halfway there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf I make the fourth one, it will be over [$120 million],\u201d he said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t know what the reality is. \u2018Oh, you know what, I\u2019m happier that these two have been made.\u2019 And then I know by hook or by crook, I\u2019m going to make three. And by hook or by crook, I\u2019m going to make four. The truth isn\u2019t really that important to a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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