Inside Out 2 Hits $1 Billion! Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’ Tanks at Box Office!

The recent weekend box office results were a roller coaster ride of fortunes. In its third week, “Inside Out 2” raked in an impressive $57.4 million and secured first place for the third time. Meanwhile, “A Quiet Place: Day One” surpassed expectations, garnering $53 million during its opening weekend.

However, the most significant point of discussion will likely be the underwhelming performance of “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1”, which only made $11 million, securing a third-place spot. This ambitious Civil War-era western project, featuring Kevin Costner as the star, director, co-writer and producer, was expected to be the first in a four-part series. Its sequel, “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2” is slated for release on August 16.

Costner, who has spent decades pursuing this project, reportedly poured in $38 million of his own funds into “Horizon.” This is not the first time he has invested personally in a project, having previously done so for 1990’s “Dances With Wolves,” which eventually grossed over $400 million globally and bagged seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director.

With Warner Brothers handling the movie’s distribution for a fee, Costner and his investors footed the bill for marketing. Analysts were predicting an opening weekend gross of $10 million to $12 million in the U.S. and Canada. The filmmakers and studio are banking on Costner’s popularity among mature and heartland audiences to drive ticket sales over time.

The Disney and Pixar production, “Inside Out 2” not only claimed the weekend but also became the first film since last year’s “Barbie” to hit the $1-billion benchmark, achieving this feat faster than any other animated film. Directed by Kelsey Mann, the movie, which explores a teenager’s journey of managing her emotions, features voices from Amy Poehler, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Hawke, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser, Diane Lane, and Kyle MacLachlan.

Despite projections of earning between $40-50 million, Paramount Pictures’ “A Quiet Place: Day One” surpassed expectations with an estimated $53 million, marking the highest opening for the three-movie franchise.

Directed by Michael Sarnoski and written from a story co-authored with franchise creator John Krasiniski, “Day One” stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, both newcomers to the series.

Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth installment in the series featuring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, secured $10.3 million in its fourth week of release.

The Indian film “Kalki 2898 AD,” directed by Nag Ashwin, rounded out the weekend’s top five at the box office, earning $5.4 million.

Upcoming releases include “Despicable Me 4,” “MaXXXine,” “Twisters” and “Deadpool and Wolverine,” which are all expected to contribute to the box office recovery after a lackluster summer and a slow start to the movie season in May.