Spy Thriller ‘Argylle’ Flops in Its Box Office Debut

(L-R) Rob Delaney, Jing Lusi, Ariana DeBose, Sofia Boutella, Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, Bryce Dallas Howard, Matthew Vaughn, Claudia Schiffer, John Cena, Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell and Samuel L. Jackson attend attends the World premiere of "Argylle" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, England, on Jan. 24, 2024. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)

Apple Studios’ “Argylle” stumbled in its box office debut. The big-budget thriller, which was distributed by Universal Pictures, raked in a tepid $18 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend.

Apple reportedly spent more than $200 million to make the film, which premiered in theaters on Feb. 2.

Opening in 3,605 North American venues, it grossed an additional $17.3 million outside of the United States, bringing its total sales to $35.3 million, Variety reported.

The spy action-comedy was directed by Matthew Vaughn, who’s known for humorous action-flicks like “Kick-Ass,” “X-Men: First Class,” and “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” It also features a famous cast—including Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Dua Lipa, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bryan Cranston.

On opening day, Mr. Cavill took to Instagram to advertise the new film, writing in a post: “[I]t’s time to see Argylle! Get ready for a slightly mad, but extremely fun movie. See you in the cinema!”

Despite the star-studded ensemble, the film still garnered largely negative reviews. It received a 34 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the average audience score is currently listed at 71 percent. It also received a “C+” on CinemaScore.

Apple’s First Box Office Flop

“Argylle” follows a reclusive author named Elly Conway, played by Ms. Howard, who writes best-selling espionage novels about a secret agent named Argylle, played by Mr. Cavill. However, things go awry when the plots of her fictional books begin to mirror the covert actions of a real spy organization.

The film marks Apple’s first box office flop. “Argylle” performed worse than the production company’s last big-budget theatrical releases: Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” both of which debuted last year.

The latter, which was released on Nov. 22, opened with $20.6 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend in the United States, while the former—released on Oct. 20—brought in $23.25 million.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” was one of 2023’s most honored films, earning 10 Oscar nominations, including “Best Picture,” “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for Lily Gladstone, and “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” for Robert De Niro. However, the film’s leading actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, was notably snubbed from the “Best Actor” category.

Since “Argylle” was the only big release of the weekend, it managed to snag the No. 1 spot in theaters. Other box office earners from this past week include season four of “The Chosen.” The faith-based television series rolled out its first three episodes on Feb. 1, bringing in $6 million, per Box Office Mojo. The next three episodes will be released on Feb. 15, followed by episodes seven and eight on Feb. 29.

Apple plans to later stream “Argylle” globally on its streaming service, Apple TV+, which may help to offset the movie’s dismal box office opening.

Apple Invests in Theatrical Films

Apple has big plans for future theatrical releases. In 2023, it revealed it is investing $1 billion a year to produce films slated to be released in theaters, citing an interest in boosting exposure in Hollywood and increasing subscriptions to Apple TV+.

The company’s original films have previously only seen limited theatrical runs or were released exclusively to its streaming service.

Amazon is also reportedly following suit. It plans to spend more than $1 billion a year to produce movies geared for theatrical releases, with plans to launch 12 to 15 films in theaters each year.

Theaters Make a Comeback After the Pandemic

The large investments made by Apple and Amazon indicate they remain optimistic about the future of cinemas, despite the tumultuous past few years the entertainment industry has faced following the outbreak of COVID-19.

The movie theater industry has seen a decrease in cinemas across the United States by about 3,000 since 2019, CNBC reported. The majority of the closures can be directly attributed to shutdown measures implemented during the coronavirus pandemic.

In the Motion Picture Association’s 2020 Theme Report, Charles Rivkin, the trade association’s chairman and chief executive officer, wrote: “The past year was challenging for the global economy. ... Our workforce was not immune: Jobs were lost, productions were either curtailed or shut down, and movie theaters shuttered across the globe.”

“Traditional box office results reflect this grim reality, with theaters experiencing their worst lows in recent memory,” he continued.

Unable to access theaters in person, subscriptions to online streaming services like Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Disney+, increased by 26 percent in 2020, soaring to over 1 billion global subscribers, per a report by the Motion Picture Association.

However, in its 2021 Theme Report, the association reported the entertainment industry had made a “rapid rebound” in 2021, with more than 940 films entering into production that year, more than double compared to 2020. It also noted the global box office market was up $21.3 billion, an 81 percent increase compared to the previous year.

“These figures underscore that our industry is swiftly recovering around the world,” Mr. Rivkin wrote in the report. “I have never felt more confident about the future. We have navigated a century’s worth of challenges, and yet we continue to re-emerge as vibrant and creative as ever.”