Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon 2’ Set for Venice Film Festival World Premiere After Pulled U.S. Release

Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter Two” will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, following the withdrawal of its U.S. release.

The second chapter of the Western epic was originally scheduled for an Aug. 16 release in U.S. theaters but was pulled after the first installment, which had a $100 million budget, underperformed significantly, grossing only $11 million during its opening weekend.

“Chapter Two,” directed and starring Costner alongside Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, and Danny Huston, will premiere out-of-competition at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 7. Prior to this, the first film in the series will be screened earlier the same day. The first installment debuted at Cannes in May, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation.

New Line Cinema’s “Horizon: An American Saga” explores the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. Costner, who directed, starred in, co-wrote with Jon Baird (“The Explorers Guild”), and produced the film through his Territory Pictures, has expressed his excitement about the Venice Film Festival presentation.

Costner commented, “It was always my aspiration to present ‘Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter Two’ at the Venice Film Festival. The decision to show ‘Chapter One’ earlier in the day, followed by the world premiere of ‘Chapter Two’ that evening, underscores their faith in the continuity of the two films and their support for my vision. I am grateful to Alberto Barbera for his commitment to this project.”

Barbera added, “It is a great pleasure and honor to host the world premiere of ‘Chapter Two’ of ‘Horizon: An American Saga,’ along with ‘Chapter One.’ This addition to the Venice Film Festival lineup is a tribute to a bold cinematic endeavor by a distinguished actor and director, who has sought to reconstruct a pivotal period in American history with authenticity and depth.”

In its review of the first film, Variety described it as “a three-hour collection of anecdotes and fragmented narratives that struggle to coalesce into a coherent Western saga, leaving the audience to piece together the backstory from the disjointed presentation.”