Kevin Costner invested millions of his own money into creating his Western epic, “Horizon: An American Saga,” but why did it fail at the box office?

If you’ve noticed Kevin Costner in the news lately, you’re not alone. The “Yellowstone” star has been making the rounds to promote his latest project, “Horizon: An American Saga,” a Western epic he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in, investing a whopping $38 million of his own money into the film.

However, despite the big-budget gamble, the film didn’t perform well at the box office. “Horizon” premiered to just $11.3 million, a far cry from its $100 million budget. Adding to the challenge, the second installment of Costner’s planned Civil War-era trilogy is already set to release on August 16.

Costner’s passion project has become a cautionary tale in Hollywood, raising questions about what went wrong. Steve Granelli, an associate teaching professor of communication studies at Northeastern University, points to several factors contributing to the film’s poor performance, including marketing issues and its lengthy three-hour runtime.

Granelli notes, “It’s a significant ask for audiences to commit to a three-hour film when the story is incomplete and only the first part of a trilogy. Marvel can succeed with this approach because they have a built-in audience and a clear trajectory for their stories. In contrast, ‘Horizon’ lacks that established framework, leaving viewers uncertain about the payoff.”

The film’s critical reception hasn’t helped either, with many reviews criticizing it as three hours of setup with little resolution. Granelli suggests that the episodic nature of “Horizon” might have been better suited to a TV series format.

“Could it have been a series? Yes, it could have been. Should it have been a series? Yes, I believe it would have been more effective as one,” Granelli argues. The slow pacing and narrative development might have been more palatable on television, where audiences have the flexibility to watch at their own pace and become more invested in characters over time.