Despite being an A-list actor, finding international success with his smash hit Yellowstone and receiving numerous awards for his acting, Kevin Costner has also had some serious movie flops: his career took a nosedive in the mid-1990s.
Costner was on his way to cementing himself as a leading man in Hollywood after a successful run starring in Field of Dreams (1989), Dances with Wolves (1990), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) and The Bodyguard ( 1992). ) – he even produced many of the big hits himself.
The now 69-year-old has also won numerous awards over the years, including three Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award – and scored a win for Best Actor in a Drama Golden Globe Award in January 2023 for his role as John Dutton in the hit series Yellowstone.
But his latest film, Horizon: An American Saga, is being panned by critics despite receiving a 10-minute standing ovation from audiences after premiering at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter One opens in theaters on June 28, with Chapter Two to follow and debut on August 16.
Sienna Miller joins star-studded ensemble cast that also includes Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi and Jena Malone
Horizon: An American Saga features a star-studded ensemble cast alongside Costner, with Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Giovanni Ribisi, Ella Hunt, Danny Huston and Luke Wilson also sharing the screen.
However, the film has received some scathing reviews and a very low score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a score of just 27 percent on the Tomatometer – the rating system used on the film criticism website.
Costner financed the film himself and admitted that he had put $38 million of his own money into the project after trying for decades to find a studio to make the film.
He even took out a loan on his Santa Barbara home after trying unsuccessfully to save it for more than 30 years.
Despite being an A-list actor, achieving international success with his smash hit Yellowstone and receiving numerous awards for his acting, Kevin Costner has also experienced some serious flops: he experienced a career flop in the mid-1990s.
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter One will premiere in theaters on June 28, with Chapter Two to follow and debut on August 16.
The two-part epic cost more than $100 million to put together.
Costner previously revealed in June 2022 that he planned to make a total of four Horizon films, shot back-to-back.
It is the fourth time that Costner has directed a film in his long career, which also includes the following films Dances With Wolves (1990), The Postman (1990) and Open Range (2003).
Costner has achieved enormous success with his work, including his directorial debut Dances with Wolves (1990), which won seven Academy Awards from twelve nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
If Horizon: An American Saga doesn’t deliver, iIt’s not the first Costner-financed film to flop at the box office.
Below, FEMAIL looks back at some of Kevin Costner’s blockbusters.
Waterworld (1995)
Just a few years after appearing in the megahit The Bodyguard, Costner’s film Waterworld scored at the box office.
The film received mixed reviews, with some critics acknowledging that it was an impressive feat to make, but finding it ‘bleak’, ‘completely humourless’ and ‘without soul’.
According to Esquire, the tabloids kept a constant eye on the film’s ever-increasing budget.
The three-hour film cost approximately $175 million to make and grossed $253 million worldwide.
Unfortunately for Costner, this was the start of a rough few years for his films, resulting in The Postman being released just two years later.
Just a few years after appearing in the megahit The Bodyguard, Costner’s film Waterworld scored at the box office
The Postman (1997)
The Postman was directed, produced and starred Costner, and was made on a budget of $80 million.
However, the dystopian film only earned $20.8 million at the box office worldwide, and currently only has a 14 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Costner has since said in interviews that while The Postman did not do well at the box office, Waterworld did not do that badly in theaters and recouped its budget and VHS sales.
The Postman was directed, produced and starred Costner, and was made on a budget of $80 million
While promoting the 2013 film Man of Steel, Costner defended The Postman.
‘Well, I always thought it was a very good film! I always thought I probably got it wrong. I should have said something like “Once upon a time.”
“Because it was like a modern fairy tale – it ends with a storybook that ends with the statue,” he said. Cinema mix.
He continued, “You know, I thought it was a pretty funny movie that revolves around the idea of a Superman – someone who goes the extra mile.
“But in this case it’s a very humble man whose nothing but a liar delivers mail and burns half of it to stay alive. So I like the movie.”