‘Horizon’ Actor Michael Rooker Defends Kevin Costner’s Film After Dismal Box Office Debut
Kevin Costner‘s “Horizon” franchise got off to a dismal start at the box office, with the first of four-planned movies debuting to just $11 million at the domestic box office. Michael Rooker, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” favorite who stars in the Western epic as Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan, caught up with TMZ after the film’s lackluster opening weekend and urged moviegoers to quit TikTok and give “real cinema” a chance.
“It’s real cinema, folks. Be prepared. We ain’t used to that shit,” Rooker said. “We’re used to 90 minute movies. Everything is 90 minutes. Give me a break. Get over that shit. Let’s watch a movie that actually tells a story where you learn about the people and grow to like them or hate them. It’s not all fast and cut, cut cut.”
When asked if part of the low viewer turnout to “Horizon” was because moviegoers have become “TikTok-ified,” Rooker answered: “Totally they are. Of course they are. They got to get over that crap. They got to learn how to watch real cinema, please.”
“Stop hanging and go see the movie,” he added. “You’ll enjoy it. Go to the bathroom before you go in.”
Costner previously revealed he spent around $38 million of his own money to finance “Horizon.” Warner Bros. only paid for distribution, meaning even the film’s marketing expenses on Costner’s dime.
“I’ve lived with movies and what happens to them on their opening weekend,” Costner told Entertainment Weekly on the day the first film opened in theaters. “If we put so much pressure on that, we’re bound to be disappointed. I’m really happy that ‘Horizon’ looks like what it’s supposed to look like, and that’s the way it’ll look the rest of its life. And that’s really important to me in this process.”
“Would I love that it would be highly, highly successful?” Costner added. “Of course, I’d like that. My ego would like that; everyone would like that. But I am happiest that the movie that you and I are talking about looks the way I want it to look.”
Warner Bros. is set to release the second “Horizon” film in the planned four-movie saga on Aug. 16. Costner, meanwhile, is moving into production on the third movie. It’s unknown at this stage how the first movie’s poor box office start will impact Costner’s plans to shoot a fourth film.
