Horizon: An American Saga star Michael Rooker critiques audiences for not watching the Western film. Rooker joins a leading Horizon cast that includes Abbey Lee, Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Giovannia Ribisi, and Danny Huston. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was recently released in theaters to mixed reviews, ahead of the August release of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2.

Speaking with TMZ, Rooker bashes audiences for passing on Horizon: An American Saga. According to the actor, people are too “used to 90-minute movies,” and he encouraged them to “Get over that sh**“. He encouraged them to “watch a movie that actually has a story.” He was also asked about whether he thinks audiences have been “TikTokified,” to which he responded “of course they are!” and said “they’ve gotta learn what it’s like to watch real cinema.” Check out the full quote from Rooker below:

“We ain’t used to that shit. We’re used to 90-minute movies, everything’s 90 minutes. Oh come on. Give me a break. Get over that shit. You know, let’s watch a movie that actually tells a story, where you learn about the people and you grow to like them or hate them, and it’s not all fast cut-cut-cut. Of course they are [TikTok-ified]! They gotta get over that crap, come on. Yeah, they’ve gotta learn what it’s like to watch real cinema. Go see the movie … There’s three more to go, be prepared.”

Is Michael Rooker Right About Why People Aren’t Watching Horizon?

Rooker’s quotation comes after Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was released in theaters this past weekend on June 28. Its opening weekend was a massive failure, as the film only earned $11 million worldwide. This pales in comparison to Horizon‘s budget, which was reported at around $100 million, and makes the financial prospects for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 look even weaker. Its box office takehome put the film at no. 3 on the charts.

Horizon is an epic film that is in the more traditional American genre film style of the Western, which, though re-popularized through TV shows like Yellowstone and Lawmen: Bass Reeves, is not the most accessible form to widespread audiences. That said, Rooker’s theory about the run time falls apart when looking at some of the successful films from the past couple of years. Last year, the third-highest grossing film worldwide was Oppenheimer, which was three hours long. The year before that, the year’s winner was Avatar: The Way of Water, which clocked in at 3 hours and 12 minutes.

Based on these trends, it seems like Horizon‘s failure cannot be simply chalked up to its exorbitant run time. The film also faced significant box office competition this past weekend, with franchise films Inside Out 2 and A Quiet Place: Day One both in theaters. Unfortunately for Horizon, the franchise competition will only heat up more as Despicable Me 4 is added to the mix this week. Box office competition may be to blame for Horizon, and the film will continue to be a financial flop unless it makes a complete 180.

Source: TMZ