After first chapter flameout, Kevin Costner's second 'Horizon' film pulled from release schedule

Kevin Costner gambled tens of millions of dollars of his own money on his Western film franchise Horizon: An American Saga, and so far it's not paying off — and that's directly affecting the release of its sequel.

The reportedly $100 million first film opened on June 28 and made just $11 million in its debut weekend.

Costner planned to release as many as four chapters of the franchise in theaters — indeed the trailer for the first one advertised the second chapter would be following close behind on Aug. 16.

But that's no longer the case, The Hollywood Reporter says.

Warner Bros. Discovery-owned New Line and Costner's own Territory Pictures have decided to pull the second chapter from its theatrical release date, according to a rep from New Line to the trade. The strategy is to "give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment ... over the coming weeks" by shifting it to streaming on video on demand and Max.

In a separate statement, a rep for Costner's production company says, "The audience response to Horizon, and enthusiasm for seeing our story continue in Horizon 2, has been incredibly gratifying," adding, "We welcome the opportunity for that window to be expanded as we know it will only serve to enhance the experience of seeing Horizon 2."