Kevin Costner’s 2024 Western Film Showcases Longevity by Leading Streaming Rankings in Early 2025

Kevin Costner’s 2024 western epic, Horizon: An American Saga, has successfully established itself in the streaming landscape as we dive into 2025, even though it initially struggled at the box office. This film marks the inception of a planned tetralogy that explores the experiences of Midwest America before, during, and after the Civil War. Interestingly, Costner’s vision for Horizon dates back to 1988, where it began as a standalone film concept before evolving into a multi-part series that he would take on as director, writer, producer, star, and partial financier. Despite mixed reviews from critics, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was released theatrically on June 28, 2024.

However, the film faced considerable challenges at the box office, securing only $38.7 million against a production budget of $50 million. As a consequence of this disappointing performance, the release of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 has been pushed into uncertainty. Originally intended to premiere on August 16, 2024, the sequel will instead be exclusively screened at the Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2024, with a future Santa Barbara International Film Festival showing on February 7, 2025. The overall fate of the follow-up chapters remains precarious, strongly tied to the reception of the inaugural installment.

Horizon: An American Saga Emerges as 2025’s Streaming Breakout

Reviving Interest Through Streaming Platforms

Despite its struggles in theaters, Horizon: An American Saga has experienced a resurgence through streaming platforms in recent months. Following its debut on Max on August 23, it quickly ascended to become a top-tier streaming film, ranking as the tenth most-watched title across all platforms that week. Given Costner’s strong association with the film, along with trends from his departure from the acclaimed series Yellowstone, this swift surge in online viewership was predictable. The movie became available on Netflix at the start of January 2025, enabling even wider audience engagement.

Recent data from Nielsen confirms this trend. Between December 30, 2024 and January 5, 2025, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 surged to the number one position for streaming movies, amassing an impressive 753 million minutes watched across both Max and Netflix platforms, thus solidifying its status as the week’s standout film.

Nielsen streaming chart for December 30 2024 to January 5 2025

Analyzing the Impact of Streaming Success on Costner’s Western Saga

Chapter 2: A Possibility for Streaming?

Costner’s film transforming into a streaming sensation offers a promising outlook as 2025 unfolds, particularly with Chapter 2 poised for an upcoming film festival screening. The attention garnered from home audiences may influence future decisions about the theatrical releases of subsequent chapters. Currently, it appears that Horizon: An American Saga may enjoy a prosperous trajectory within the realm of home media, which could largely dictate the fate of its three potential sequels.

Horizon: An American Saga Movies	Release Dates
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1	June 28, 2024
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2	TBA
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 3	TBA
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 4	TBA