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It has undoubtedly been a rough go forKevin Costnerin 2024. His most recent project,Horizon: An American Saga, struggled at the box office before making its way to streaming with mixed reviews from viewers and critics. Some may even say the discourse around the film has been rather harsh for Costner, whose career as an actor and director has seen equal successes as horrible failures.
Still, out of all the movies that Costner has directed, one stands out as his biggest flop, and we are not talking aboutWaterworld, which he starred in. 1997’sThe Postmanwassuch a financial and critical failure that it had an irreplicable effect on Costner’s careerthat few other actors have experienced. We will examine just how badlyThe Postmandid in the theaters, the fallout, how it compares toHorizon, and, finally, whether it is worth giving the film another chance decades later.
The Postman Plot and Cast
The Postman
Taking place in a post-apocalyptic America in 2013,The Postmanfollows a drifter (Kevin Costner) who takes on the titular moniker after discovering a U.S. Postal Service uniform and a bag of undelivered mail. At first, he uses this as a guise to state that the United States government is being restored, earning people’s trust to ensure safe travel and food as he heads from place to place. However, he is soon thrust into the role of a symbol of hope for survivors living under the oppressive regime of a tyrannical warlord named General Bethlehem (Will Patton) and his militia.
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Kevin Costner directed and starred inThe Postman.This marked his second production stepping into the shoes of both roles, withthe phenomenal WesternDances with Wolvesbeing released several years prior, in 1990. Will Patton played the antagonist, General Bethlehem. Patton would make himself a staple of Western-inspired content, including recent appearances inYellowstoneandOuter Range,as well as Costner’s most recent flop,Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1. The cast was rounded out by Larenz Tate, Olivia Williams, and James Russo.The Postmanwas based on the book of the same name by David Brin.
The Postman Was a Flop at the Box Office
The Postmanhad a reported budget of $80 million but only took in $27,026,234 worldwide, resulting in an over $62 million loss, one of thebiggest box office flops of the ’90s.This was Costner’s second major flop in a row, withWaterworldnot making back its budget of around $235 million in 1995. Why didThe Postmanflop so hard? There are a few factors: it was released on Christmas day and faced the sensation that was James Cameron’sTitanic(even then, it landed in 9th spot at the box office), and critics also lambasted it. The film became the joke of the season, earning five Golden Raspberry Awards.
Comparing critical reception with the recentHorizon,The Postmanis sitting rotten at 14% with 44 reviews, whileHorizon: An American Sagacurrently has 49% with 148 reviews. If you think the discourse aroundHorizonis harsh, it pales compared to the scorn thrown atThe Postmanin the ’90s. In Paul Tatara’s review forCNN, he closed his review with, “The Postmanhas some rather barbaric violence and a little bit of nudity. It’s about as inspiring as a movie about a vengeful meter reader.“Roger Ebertwas a bit kinder, giving it 1 1/2 stars and opening up his review with, “There are those who will no doubt callThe Postmanthe worst film of the year, but it’s too good-hearted for that.” Still, at the time of release, you would have difficulty finding anyone to offer glowing reviews of the Kevin Costner Western epic.
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Coming off of two failures in a row, first withWaterworldand thenThe Postman,resulted in faith in Costner as an actor with name value to draw audiences to wane.Costner would continue to find leading roles, but it was not until six years afterThe Postmanthat the actor would see critical acclaim and financial success with 2003’sOpen Range.Open Rangewould go on to make $68.3 million worldwide off an estimated budget of 22 million; not the most significant success, it would push Costner into the director seat once again withHorizon: An American Saga.
Is The Postman Worth a Watch?
IsThe Postmanas bad as they say? The initial reaction to the film was undoubtedly harsh, and the cumbersome running time of just under three hours allowed critics and fans all the time they needed to pick apart everything they disliked about it. Still, with time,the movie has garnered a bit of a cult following, with some praising itsunique approach to a dystopian landscapebacked by strongly executed character development. The film also deals with themes of hope in a way that others have found inspirational. If you are uncertain whether you would likeThe Postman, give it a shot; just make sure you have three hours set aside.
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1is available to stream onMax; it has yet to be confirmed whether chapters 2 and 3 will complete production.You can rentThe PostmanonApple TV,Prime Video, orYouTube.
