KEVIN COSTNER GETS CROWDED BY FANS, HUGS SUSAN SARANDON AS ‘HORIZON 2' GETS 3-MINUTE VENICE OVATION

Kevin Costner's second installment of his Western franchise "Horizon: An American Saga" earned a three-minute standing ovation at Venice Film Festival on Saturday.

The standing ovation for Costner's "Horizon 2" had barely passed three minutes when the director and star of the Western epic was crowded by fans and therefore escorted out by security.

The follow-up to June's first chapter of "Horizon," "Chapter Two" premiered at the festival's Sala Giardino - a much smaller theater than Sala Grande, which is typically reserved for gala premieres. This is likely because the festival's awards ceremony is taking place in Sala Grande on Saturday night, but made it so Costner was rushed out of the theater shortly after credits started to roll.

"Horizon 2" was a last-minute addition to Venice's lineup, with news coming on July 31 that it would premiere out-of-competition on the last day of the festival. Earlier that month, the U.S. release of "Chapter 2" was scrapped from its planned Aug. 16 debut after the franchise's first installment, which carried a budget of around $100 million, earned only $11 million on its opening weekend.

Costner again directs and stars in "Chapter Two," with a returning cast consisting of Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone and Danny Huston. The film continues the events of the first chapter in the epic, which is described as a "multi-faceted depiction of the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West." In addition to directing and starring, Costner served as a co-writer with Jon Baird ("The Explorers Guild") and produced through his Territory Pictures.

"My dream was always to show ‘Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter Two' at the Venice Film Festival," Costner said in a statement when the movie's premiere was announced. "The fact that now they have decided to show ‘Chapter One' earlier in the day and then the world premiere of ‘Chapter Two' that evening shows not only their belief in how the two films work together but their support of a director's vision. I'm indebted to Alberto Barbera for his courage and leadership in committing to this cinematic journey."