Published Jun 1, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 3000 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix’s Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom. You can also hear Jake every week as the resident film and TV journalist on Track Radio.
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Western epics can make for spectacular flops, just ask Kevin Costner. After leaving his role as John Dutton in Taylor Sheridan’s hugely popular Yellowstone, Costner set his eyes on a long-awaited passion project, as he directed, co-wrote, produced, starred in, and even largely self-financed Horizon: An American Saga. Intended to be split into four parts, the film installment was such a disaster at the box office that Chapter 2, which had already been filmed, was put on the shelf. What remains for the future of the series is unknown, but its worth noting that this is far from the first disaster of its kind.
Another came over 40 years before, as director Michael Cimino’s Western epic ***Heaven’s Gate ***became one of the most infamous film flops of all time. Considered “cursed” today, the film was plagued with issues both on and off-screen, which eventually led to its failure. Going wildly over budget during production, Heaven’s Gate remarkably was so bloated financially that it bankrupted its studio, United Artists. At the 1980 box office, the film earned just $3.4 million worldwide, with most of this coming from U.S. theaters. This total was against a reported budget of over $40 million, making it one of Hollywood’s biggest financial disasters ever.
Going over budget is far from Heaven’s Gate’s only mistake. There was also a major scandal surrounding the film’s production, as it was reported that horses were being killed or bled for authenticity, leading to understandable outrage from audiences. A major catalyst for the inclusion of “No animals were harmed” disclaimers in future productions, Heaven’s Gate at least had some positive impact on the film industry. 46 years later, if morbid curiosity is making you want to watch the film today, you’ll have to hurry, as** Heaven’s Gate is officially losing its place on free streamer Plex next month**.
The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you’re complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes.
You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world’s indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you’re willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family’s weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what’s yours, you don’t escalate — you finish it. You’re not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone’s world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn’t make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it.
You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You’re a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they’ll do to get it. You’re not naive enough to think this world is fair. You’re smart enough to be the one deciding who it’s fair to.
You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you’re not above reminding people that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they’d be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they’re more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don’t need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land.
You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you’re the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky’s world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You’ve made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless.
Truly, given its terrible reputation upon release, Heaven’s Gate’s public standing couldn’t get any worse. However, few would’ve expected that, 46 years on, some would consider it a misunderstood masterpiece. Today, and thanks to re-edits, Heaven’s Gate is considered an American classic and was even included in BBC Culture’s 2015 list of the 100 greatest American films of all time. You can make up your own mind on Plex right now.
*Heaven’s Gate *is leaving Plex on June 1, 2026. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.
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