The Colossal Box Office Flop That Almost Ended Kevin Costner's Career

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Kevin Costner has had a long, fruitful career in Hollywood that spans more than four decades dating back to his early roles in films like "The Big Chill" and "Silverado." That career has included some wildly high highs, including his Best Picture winning Western epic "Dances With Wolves," which is still regarded as one of his best films. "Dances With Wolves" also started Costner's career as a director, kicking off his time behind the camera on a high note. Unfortunately, his follow-up — which came in the form of 1997's "The Postman" — didn't go nearly as well.

With a big budget, heralded source material and the world on his side, Costner's "The Postman" seemed destined for success. Instead, it became a box office bomb that derailed his career for years and was arguably an even bigger Costner-led flop than the infamous bomb that was "Waterworld." It wasn't enough to outright end his career as an actor or a director, but it sure as heck did a sizable amount of damage. So, what went wrong, exactly? Put simply, Costner didn't make a very good movie ... and as the film's director, lead actor, producer, and co-writer, it pretty much all rested on his shoulders.

"The Postman" was based on author David Brin's novel of the same name and picks up years after a major global conflict has left the United States in a state of dystopia. Costner plays the Postman, a nomad who wanders through towns delivering old mail (hence the name), only for his presence to ignite a belief amongst the people of America that the government has been restored. This leads to a clash between the Postman and the tyrannical General Bethlehem (Will Patton).

Warner Bros.

For some historical context, "Dances With Wolves" was not only an Oscar-winner, but it was also a massive box office success, taking in $424 million worldwide. That led to Costner starring in a string of hits throughout the early '90s, including "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "JFK," and "The Bodyguard." The only real blemish on his record at the time was the nightmarish production of "Waterworld," which became a highly publicized disaster. By and large, though, Costner was at the top of his game.

By the time Costner got involved, development on a film adaptation of "The Postman" had stalled out after years of little movement. (Brin, as it were, had originally envisioned Costner playing the lead character after seeing "Field of Dreams.") As fortune had it, however, Costner not only signed on to star, but to also take over the director's chair as well. As his second turn at the helm, all eyes were on the film. Brin, writing in his personal blog, explained that Costner threw out the earlier draft of the script that had been penned by Erik Roth:

"Kevin Costner came aboard, bringing all his might and prestige to the project. Though I was never consulted, he nevertheless agreed with my own impression — that an evil, incoherent and rapacious central character might be a bad idea! Instinctively realizing that the tale ought to be about decency, heroism and hope, he threw out all the dismal old drafts and hired Brian Helgeland, esteemed screenwriter of 'LA Confidential.'"

Warner Bros. funded and distributed "The Postman," with the film costing a hefty $80 million to make before accounting for marketing (or north of $150 million in today's dollars when adjusted for inflation). That's superhero movie money. Unfortunately for WB and Costner, it didn't gross superhero movie money at the box office, nor were critics on the film's side.

Indeed, "The Postman" carries a truly brutal 17% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. "A massive miscalculation in self-mythologizing by director and star Kevin Costner, 'The Postman' would make for a goofy good time if it weren't so fatally self-serious," to quote the website's critical consensus. To make matters worse, the film also came out just one week after "Titanic," which was on a record-breaking run at the box office. It spelled disaster, with Costner's costly adaptation taking in barely over $20 million globally.

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In 1998, Entertainment Weekly posited whether or not Costner's career could survive the disaster that was "The Postman," suggesting that the film was the result of "ego unchained" and that the filmmaker "seems to be suffering from the dreaded hyphenate addiction." The outlet also commented that "with ultimate I-can-do-it-all hubris, Costner sings over the closing credits."

While no precise figures have ever been cited, "The Postman" undoubtedly lost tens of millions of dollars at the box office and would never have been able to make up that money on home media or through cable. It was a misguided bomb for the ages, and it was all pinned on Costner. The outright rejection of the film cast a shadow over his career for years. Costner went on to star in a string of different projects spanning a wide array of genres (including the romance picture "Message in a Bottle," the baseball movie "For the Love of the Game," the thriller "Thirteen Days," and the crime flick "3000 Miles to Graceland"), but none of them connected with critics or audiences in a meaningful way.

Eventually, Costner returned to directing in 2003 with "Open Range," which was a relatively modest hit. His next out-and-out success wouldn't truly come until Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel" in 2013, in which he played Jonathan "Pa" Kent. All due respect, but Costner's name wasn't exactly the reason that movie sold tickets either.

The real turnaround came for Constner when he signed on to play the lead role of John Dutton in Taylor Sheridan's hit series "Yellowstone." Becoming the biggest show on cable, "Yellowstone" reignited Costner's stardom and even helped him get a long-gestating passion project off the ground in the form of "Horizon: An American Saga." Unfortunately, the planned four-film epic got off to a rocky start, with "Chapter 1" bombing at the box office and leaving its sequels on uncertain ground. Even so, Costner's career did, in fact, recover from "The Postman." It just took a long, long time.

For those who are curious, "The Postman" is available on VOD. Alternatively, you can pick up a copy on Blu-ray/DVD via Amazon.