Kevin Costner’s celebrated return to the big screen did not go quite as planned. The great epic Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was well received, albeit with some differences, by critics, but not by audiences, who turned their backs on the sluggish marathon running time of 181 minutes at the box office.

Horizon Part 1 is a flop

So when the first part arrived in June, the disaster caused the release of the second part is planned for August be postponed. A plan B was neededespecially given the scale of the project and everything that was at stake. The solution appeared on the horizon in the form of the oldest festival in film history.

Venice to the rescue

It certainly seems to be the best option. Venice Film Festival is just around the corner (August 28 – September 7), and if the film gains prestige when it is released, the hype could help sell the film, or at least pique audience interest.

Costner is banking on Venice giving the sequel the boost it needsRemember, Horizon: An American Saga consists of four chapters (Given the first film, we assume they are very long) in which he delves into the origins of his country. In this excessive project, Costner himself co-wrote, directed, acted and, mind you, produced.

We’ll soon find out whether or not Chapter 2 will be a success at the Mostra and whether that will give it enough momentum to conquer the cinemas. Audiences can often be fickle, but sometimes it’s simply because their time has passed.