Kevin Costner‘s second installment of his Western franchise “Horizon: An American Saga” earned a three-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, before the director and star was crowded by fans.
The applause for Costner’s “Horizon 2” had barely passed the three-minute mark when he became encircled by enthusiastic fans — holding up their phones to get selfies or take videos — and was therefore escorted out by security. The follow-up to June’s first edition of “Horizon,” “Chapter Two” debuted at the festival’s Sala Giardino — a much smaller theater than typical premiere-host Sala Grande, which was otherwise occupied on Saturday night with Venice’s awards ceremony. “Chapter One” of “Horizon” premiered at Cannes Film Festival back in May to a seven-minute ovation.
However, before he left, Costner hugged his “Bull Durham” co-star Susan Sarandon, who kissed his cheek and whispered congratulations in his ear. The two reunited earlier in the week for the Better World Fund’s philanthropy event at the Cipriani Hotel in Venice. “There’s nothing like catching up with an old friend,” Costner wrote on Instagram of their reunion. “Great to see you [Susan Sarandon] we’ve come a long way since our ‘Bull Durham’ days.”
“Horizon 2” was a last-minute addition to Venice’s lineup, with news coming on July 31 that it would premiere out-of-competition on the last day of the festival. Earlier that month, the U.S. release of “Chapter 2” was scrapped from its planned Aug. 16 debut after the franchise’s first installment, which carried a budget of around $100 million, earned only $11 million on its opening weekend.
Costner commented on the film’s pulled theatrical release during a press conference earlier on Saturday, saying that it was “probably a reaction” to the poor box office performance of the first film. “It didn’t have overwhelming success,” Costner said. “I’ve had a lot of movies that way, that have stood the test of time.”
However, Costner said he still plans to make the next two films in the saga, teasing that they are both already written and “Chapter Three” is “devastating.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to make ‘Three’ right now,” he said. “But I’m going to make it.”
Costner again directs and stars in “Chapter Two,” with a returning cast consisting of Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone and Danny Huston. The film continues the events of the first chapter in the epic, which is described as a “multi-faceted depiction of the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West.” In addition to directing and starring, Costner served as a co-writer with Jon Baird (“The Explorers Guild”) and produced through his Territory Pictures.