Box office: Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’ starts with soft $800,000

Kevin Costner’s western gamble “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” got off to a soft start at the box office, bringing in just $800,000 from more than 3,000 locations Thursday, according to studio estimates.

Many in Hollywood are closely watching the box office performance of Costner’s ambitious and risky “Horizon” this weekend, the first of a planned four-part series that is being funded in part by the star himself.

Alongside Costner, who directs, co-writes and produces as well as stars in the movie, the western saga set on the frontier during the Civil War also features Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Abbey Lee, Hayes Costner and Danny Huston.

Going into the weekend, analysts had predicted an opening weekend box office take of $10 million to $12 million in the U.S. and Canada for the Warner Bros. feature, a tepid start. The filmmakers and studio are hoping the movie’s prospects will be boosted by the heartland audiences and older moviegoers who make up Costner’s fan base.

Kevin Costner in “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Costner stepped away from the wildly successful Taylor Sheridan-created Paramount television series “Yellowstone” to devote himself to the “Horizon” project, which he has wanted to make for decades. Costner previously bet on himself when he put some of his own money into 1990’s “Dances With Wolves,” which would go on to make more than $400 million worldwide and win seven Academy Awards including best picture and director.

“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2” is set for release in theaters on Aug. 16.

Paramount Pictures’ “A Quiet Place: Day One,” playing on more than 3,700 screens this weekend, made some noise at the box office on Thursday night, bringing in $6.8 million in previews. The two previous installments in the franchise brought in $4.3 million and $4.8 million, respectively.

Directed by Michael Sarnoski, who captured attention with the Nicolas Cage-starring “Pig,” the new “Day One” is the first film in the “Quiet Place” franchise not directed by John Krasinski. Krasiniski, who also starred in the first film, does share a story credit on the new movie with Sarnoski, who wrote the screenplay.

The prequel has been pegged for a domestic debut of $40 million to $50 million, according to prerelease audience surveys.

Joseph Quinn as “Eric” and Lupita Nyong’o as “Samira” in “A Quiet Place: Day One.”

(Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures)

The film stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, both new to the series, as the story follows the first arrival on Earth of the alien creatures who attack anything making a sound.

The winner for the weekend is nevertheless expected to be Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” which has proven to be a box office juggernaut. The film should cross the $1-billion mark this weekend, the first movie to do so since last year’s “Barbie.”