Kevin Costner’s 12-hour ‘Horizon’ binge plan is PT Barnum-like showmanship that could be ‘big winner’: expert

Kevin Costner has big dreams for his “Horizon” movie saga.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Costner teased at CinemaCon that once all four “Horizon” films are made, he hopes fans will be able to go to a movie theater and binge all the films at once. 

“Maybe a year and a half, two years from now, they will come (to theaters) for 12 hours,” Costner said before sharing details about the first two films. “Horizon: An American Saga” part one debuts in theaters June 28 and the second film shortly after Aug. 16.

Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga” debuts part one June 28. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

Business and finance expert Eric Schiffer told FOX Business it’s highly unlikely fans will go to a movie theater for 12 straight hours. 

KEVIN COSTNER IS EAGER FOR ‘HORIZON’ DEBUT: ‘THIS TIME HAS COME’ 

“When you think of binging, and you do it perhaps at the house, you’re alone. You have privacy, you have perhaps your loved ones and the ability to break and do other things,” he explained. “To sit in a movie theater, even if there’s a small intermission, it sounds like Costner needs to be paying people to go.”

Schiffer said it would be “lethally stupid” for fans to attend the movie theater for that long. 

“It’s wacky, it’s crazed, and it’s inconsistent with modern-day reality,” Schiffer said.

Kevin Costner’s wish to have fans binge all four “Horizon” films is the “financial kiss of death,” according to one expert. (Jerod Harris/Getty Images for CinemaCon / Getty Images)

Whether this is a good or bad financial decision for the movie star, Schiffer added, “it’s a threat to the estate of Kevin Costner. It’s the financial kiss of death.”

Meanwhile, Doug Eldridge of Achilles Public Relations, told FOX Business, “If Costner solely intended to release this in one half-day marathon format, it simply wouldn’t survive; more accurately, it would likely never be cleared for takeoff, much less crash and burn.”

Eldridge noted that if Costner’s plan is to release the movies separately and then an option for a movie marathon in theaters, “it will likely be met with success.”

“This level of P.T. Barnum showmanship will certainly appeal to a portion of the viewing audience who would love the sheer audacity (and awesomeness) of a 12-hour movie,” Eldridge told FOX Business. “It’s not for everyone, but if Costner times it right, he’ll reach the broader audience as well as the niche audience and come away the big winner.​”

Eldridge noted that Costner has an advantage because “the hunger for Westerns is seeing a surge in popularity that it hasn’t enjoyed since the 1960s.

The Kevin Costner-led “Yellowstone” was a “key driver” in the revival of Westerns, public relations expert Doug Eldridge told FOX Business. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

“‘Yellowstone’ was a key driver in that revival, and Costner was at the heart of the hit series,” he continued. “He is doubling-down on that popularity — both for himself and for the genre — in ​the creation of ‘Horizon.’ I predict it will be a monster hit, and Costner will cash in, commercially and critically.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Costner has only addressed two films that have been made, but plans for his “Horizon” franchise consist of four films.

“When I think about the promise of America, there was a promise out here, if you could go. If you were tough enough, if you were mean enough, if you were resourceful enough, if you were lucky enough, you could take what you wanted in America,” Costner said at CinemaCon. 

“That promise meant that we step on a whole group of people who had been here for thousands of years. But that’s what happened in America. … I don’t pass judgment because I don’t want to look down on people’s resourcefulness.”

Kevin Costner spoke about his film “Horizon: An American Saga” onstage during CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas April 9, 2024. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Costner co-wrote the script, stars in the film and serves as the director, his first time taking on that role since his 2003 film, “Open Range.” Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga” will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival May 19.

The last time Costner attended the famed film festival was for the premiere of “The Matrix Reloaded” in 2003.

Kevin Costner leveraged millions to ensure the “Horizon” film saga was made. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

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“I’ve been waiting for the right time to return, and I’m proud to say that this time has come,” Costner said of the Cannes Film Festival, according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

“‘Horizon: An American Saga’ is a story that began 35 years ago, and I can’t think of a better place than Cannes to reveal to the world the result of such a wonderful adventure. The French have always supported films and believed deeply in filmmaking. Just as I believe deeply in my film.”