The financial failure of the excellent western HORIZON
(2024) will be examined for years to come. There are so many questions. Why was
such a well-made, engrossing, beautiful film unable to find an audience in the
summer of 2024? Some people have surmised that perhaps the genre is out of step
with today’s tastes and there might be something to that. The only successful
western of the past few years was the more arthouse effort POWER OF THE DOG
(2021) which garnered critical acclaim and award nominations but was only a
moderate money maker. But it becomes difficult to gauge popular interest in the
genre when there are relatively few data points in the range of films being
given wide theatrical release. Westerns seem to still do well as home video or
streaming releases but those movies tend to be of smaller scale and budget. And
there, I think might be part of the problem with HORIZON.
This was an expensive project and was deemed risky enough
from the beginning that star Costner ponied up a share of the budget himself.
That speaks clearly about his belief in the story but the huge scale of the
production made it a necessity for the film to become a major hit to guarantee
the star/co-writer/producer/director’s vision could reach completion. And there
is the bigger problem this entire affair had from its conception. Explaining to
the movie going public that this was only the first part of a longer saga may
have doomed its box office appeal. Audiences are accustomed to serialized story
telling at home with binge-watching being a standard way of absorbing
television shows. But knowing that this three-hour movie is only the first
chapter of a multi-part epic that can’t be watched over the next couple of
nights might have been a deal breaker. I can imagine a large number of
interested western fans opting to wait for the home streaming release with the
binge capabilities under their control at the click of a play button. And,
considering the appeal the genre has to older viewers, I’m sure the thought of
three hours without a bathroom break might have seemed an unnecessary gamble for
some as well!
Regardless, I loved the movie. I found it to be a fascinating
beginning to the type of sprawling tale that doesn’t seem to have been made for
the big screen in decades. There have been some excellent westerns made over
the past three or four decades but none with this size and scope. This is very
much a HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962) or ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968) style
story and I suspect Costner’s hoped for four film series will now not get made.
That is a shame, but I do hope to at least be able to see the already completed
second movie theatrically one day soon. These films are crafted to be best
appreciated on the biggest screen possible.
The List
HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD (1934) – 7 (story of the rise of the
banking empire with Karloff as villain)
JUNGLE MANHUNT (1951) – 6 (Jungle Jim with stolen giant lizard
footage and men in skeleton suits)
MAXXXINE (2024) – 7 (the weakest of the trilogy but still
quite good)
THE GNOME-MOBILE (1967) – 7 (fun little live-action Disney adventure)
SAFARI (1956) – 6 (British adventure that uses the Mau Mau
uprising as a backdrop – kind of tasteless)
FOOD OF THE GODS (1976) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)
DANGER: DIABOLIK (1968) – 9 (rewatch on Blu)
FROGS! (1972) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)
MERCENARY FIGHTERS (1988) – 5 (exactly as generic as the
title - Cannon actioner)
HORIZON (2024) – 8 (excellent western - part 1)
COBWEB (2023) – 4 (horror effort is ‘meh’)
TALES OF MANHATTAN (1942) – 8 (excellent portmanteau tale of
a cursed coat)
IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (1958) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
LONGLEGS (2024) – 8
COLOR OUT OF SPACE (2019) – 8 (rewatch)
THE MARK OF SATAN (1957) – 5 (Mexican western about
supernatural axe murders)
THE BLOODY FISTS (1972) - 7 (exciting fights make for a fun Hong
Kong action film)
PLAYBACK (1962) – 7 (sharp Edgar Wallace adaptation)
MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS (1958) - 6 (rewatch on Blu)
ELEPHANT WALK (1954) – 6 (well mounted melodrama with good
cast)
HELLRAISER (2022) – 8 (shockingly good sequel/reboot)
JUNGLE WOMAN (1944) – 5 (rewatch on Blu)
RAMBO: LAST BLOOD (2019) – 6 (routine revenge tale that
hopefully wraps this thing up)
THE BARBARIANS (1988) – 5 (Deodato’s stab at the genre with
non-acting twins)
