Horizon: An American Saga’s huge runtime is actually a good thing

Horizon: An American Saga has been granted a lengthy runtime, but history tells us that this could be a good sign.

When Kevin Costner left Yellowstone to complete Horizon: An American Saga — a passion project 30 years in the making — most Costner fans had the same thought: that this had better be worth it.

The latest Horizon news indicates that, above all else, there’ll be plenty of Horizon to watch regardless of how it turns out. From the start, Costner has described the four-part Western saga as being around 11 hours in total. Now, in a report from Deadline, the first film is confirmed to be three hours long.

For newcomers to the genre, or for those who might’ve only dipped their toes in as a result of Costner’s starring role in Yellowstone, a historical epic of this scale might cause a rolling of the eyes. But, in reality, the lengthy runtime could signify that something great is coming.

It’s not unusual for Westerns to stand as hours-long odysseys. This is clearly evident in Costner’s own filmography, including Dances With Wolves, which was also three hours — and also happened to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

In one very notable example, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — which is widely considered to be not only one of the greatest Westerns but one of the best movies ever made — just touches three hours.

2023 just so happened to be the year of long movies, with Oppenheimer winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards and making $953.8 million at the box office, proving that modern audiences are willing to stay in their seats for extended periods. Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, also released last year, was a Western masterpiece that spanned three and a half hours.

At the 2024 Oscars ceremony, host Jimmy Kimmel joked about the length of the movies nominated, a skit that actually drew ire from social media after the fact. Audiences are more willing to give longer movies the time of day (literally), and that could bode well for Horizon.

Lengthy adventures are not unusual for the Western format, and if Kevin Costner wants to recreate the success of Dances With Wolves, then he’s on the right track with this one small detail.

For more, check out our guide on how to watch all the Kevin Costner Westerns, and keep an eye on all the other new movies coming your way.