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The cat is out of the bag: “Argylle” is shaping up to be the first high-profile box office flop of 2024. The spy-action comedy It alone earned $6.5 million in ticket sales at 3,605 North American venues during opening day and preview screenings. That’s not a good start for a movie that’s supposed to delight audiences with a star-studded ensemble and a massive $200 million production budget.
The Apple Studios production represents the company’s third recent release in North America, this time partnering with Universal to have the traditional studio handle distribution. It’s also another financial turnaround for the tech giant, matching the huge prices of “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Napoleon.” Both films didn’t exactly light up the box office last fall: Martin Scorsese’s western hit $156 million worldwide, while Ridley Scott’s war film fared better with $219 million. But both epics successfully signaled that Apple has entered the prestige business, attracting historic talent as directors and, hopefully, major awards accolades.
What exactly does “Argylle” represent? Mainly, a supposed franchise holder with a mega budget who will now likely face an uphill battle to deliver on that promise. Well, that’s Hollywood. Of course, $200 million isn’t exactly a huge burden for Apple, which surpassed $3 trillion in market capitalization last summer. But it’s still a big investment for an intellectual property that fails to make a splash.
“Argylle” has gotten mostly negative reviews, but what’s even worse is that audiences don’t really like it either. Research firm Cinema Score issued a harsh “C+” grade after surveying early ticket buyers. The rumors are bad and there may not be enough curiosity to save this cat in the coming weeks.
Directed by “Kingsman” mastermind Matthew Vaughn, the film stars Bryce Dallas Howard as an introverted author, whose series of books about a fictional spy named Argylle (Henry Cavill) attracts the attention of global spy organizations once he stories begin to predict real-world events. The extensive cast also includes the likes of Sam Rockwell, Dua Lipa, Bryan Cranston, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Catherine O’Hara, Samuel L. Jackson, Sofia Boutella and Rob Delaney.
There hasn’t been a new wide release since Bleecker Street’s sci-fi thriller “ISS” flopped two weeks ago, but “Argylle” won’t be the movie that drives foot traffic. Instead, theaters will have to wait for the Valentine’s Day releases of Paramount’s musical biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” and Sony’s superhero movie “Madame Web.”
“Argylle” may also want to watch its back, as Fathom Events is generating solid business with the theatrical release of the first three episodes of the fourth season of “The Chosen,” a dramatization of the life of Jesus Christ. The series has been a specific but reliable box office draw for religious audiences in recent years; Fathom opened the season 3 premiere in November 2022, scoring an $8.2 million debut. Playing at 2,199 locations, rivals estimate the Season 4 premiere event launch grossed $1.7 million in previews on Friday and Thursday.
Remnants from the holidays and January will make up the rest of the top five. “The Beekeeper,” “Wonka,” “Mean Girls,” “Anyone but You” and “Migration” are in the mix, with weekend gains of around $4 million and drops of less than 45%.
Notably, Warner Bros. “Wonka” will reach a domestic gross of $200 million this weekend. It is now the eighth highest-grossing North American release of 2023. Meanwhile, Amazon MGM’s “Beekeeper” will surpass $50 million domestically in one week and Sony’s romantic comedy “Anyone but You” will surpass a domestic total of $75 millions of dollars in the coming days.