Costner, for lack of better words, has reverse engineered Yellowstone and I think movie theatre chains owe him a huge thank you.
He is creating a series and getting it into theatres first, before going to streaming and this model of creating "seasons" (as Horizon 2,3,4 are around the corner) integrates both the best of the theater experience combined with the streaming experience.
This model, mark my words, will get replicated and while Horizon 1 may not enjoy huge box office success immediately, just watch the $ it generates worldwide with streaming. Subsequent releases will just grow in popularity.
The movie itself is well written and the scenery on the screen is classic Costner. I like the fact that you can see the dirt and the real way people lived, and died.
It is a darker world than the typical western, which it should be.
I loved it and the three hours went by very fast. Don't let that hinder you from seeing on the big screen.