Kevin Costner in Horizon.
Warner Bros.
In recent weeks, Kevin Costner has embarked on a multi-city tour to promote Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1the first of four big-budget westerns he directed and starred in. He has appeared on local morning shows, held news conferences and visited at least one military installation.
Costner also recorded personal messages for various theater chains, all based in America’s heartland. This included sitting down with Greg Marcus, the affable CEO of Marcus Theaters, for a personalized session. Horizon video broadcast in Marcus cinemas.
It is in the middle of the country that Costner and Warner Bros. intend to develop Horizon throughout the 4th of July corridor and beyond. Last year, the independent film The sound of freedom opened on July 4, came out of nowhere to become one of the biggest hits of the summer thanks to Middle America. Even though the two films couldn’t be more different, Horizon hopes to ride the same wave of support, thanks to Costner’s own fan base and fans of Yellow stonethe hit TV series he left behind Horizon.
On Friday, Costner will begin to understand how successful he has been when the first of his four Horizon the films are coming to thousands of theaters across the United States. Tracking services, from Quorum to National Research Group, all vary in their ranges, but the general consensus is that launching the western will cost between $10 million and $12 million.
That’s not the kind of number a filmmaker or distributor wants to see for a film costing $100 million to produce. Many industry veterans believe that tracking services don’t necessarily capture the audience for Horizon — that is, older adult men, and particularly men living in small towns in the West, South, and Midwest.
It’s already a legend how Costner invested $38 million of his own money to win Horizon when no studio wanted to sign and finance, despite the fact that he is still remembered around the world for the Oscar-winning film Dance with wolveswhich he also directed and starred in. Ultimately, Warner Bros. came on board to distribute and help market the film. Horizon paid films, by setting up a double release plan which sees Chapter 2 was released in theaters on August 16. Financing for the films came from Costner’s money, two mystery investors, and the sale of foreign distribution rights. Costner also pays for the marketing himself.
In terms of overseas box office, Costner and its international partner K5 international have taken Horizon Chapter 1 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere. Although Costner and the film received a long standing ovation, the critics were not as kind. It stands at a 49 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Horizon is described as a multi-faceted story covering the expansion and settlement of the American West that spans the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865. It is described as exploring “the allure of the Wild West and how it was won – and lost – through the blood, sweat and tears of many people.”
Costner stars alongside Sienna Miller, Jena Malone, Isabelle Fuhrman, Ella Hunt, Georgia MacPhail, Abbey Lee and Wasé Chief.
The fate of the last two Horizon the films are not clear. Costner began filming on chapter 3but needs more funds to complete its vision.
“I don’t want to let this pile of things that I have — whether it’s money or possessions — be so important to me that I can’t think about what I want to do,” Costner said. The Hollywood Reporterby Scott Feinberg at Cannes, explaining why he invested his own money in the film. “I’m going to keep enough things to keep my family good.” … I wish I had money, I wish I had nice things, but I thought, “This is going to control me if I let it.” »
Gn entert
News Source : www.hollywoodreporter.com
