A star-studded cast, popular marketing, and an enticing central premise are not always a guarantee of success, it seems, proven most recently by the shockingly poor performance ofMatthew Vaughn’sArgylle. Considered now one of theworst movies of 2024, it seems that audiences felt the same, withArgyllesincerely underperforming at the box office. Despite starring big hitters such asHenry Cavill,Bryce Dallas Howard, andSam Rockwell, poor word of mouth and a pitiful critical reception - highlighted by aRotten Tomatoesscore of just 33% - leftArgylleon the scrap heap.
That is until a year later, with the movie’sstreaming run proving much more popular. Officially, almost a year on from its first release,Argylleis officially in Apple TV+’s top 10.As time has endured, the film’s reputation has grown slightly, perhaps helped by this streaming success; despite the poor critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience rating is a much more respectable 71%. For those who have yet to see it - of which there are likely still many - here’s a look atArgylle’s synopsis:
“Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World franchise) is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie. But when the plots of Elly’s fictional books–which center on secret agent Argylle and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate–begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past. Accompanied by Aidan (Oscar® winner Sam Rockwell), a cat-allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly’s fictional world and her real one begins to blur.”
‘Argylle’ Was an Unquestionable Box Office Flop
Given the movie’sreported budget of $200 million, expectations would have been very high from Apple and Universal thatArgyllewould at least recuperate such impressive financial backing. Alas,not even half ofArgylle’s total reported budget was reached at the box office, with the film finishing its run on just $96 million, split between $45 million domestically and $51 million in overseas markets.The film opened to a dismal $17 million on its first weekend, which, when looking at other big-budget blockbusters of the year, simply pales in comparison.Argyllejust about held onto the 50th spot on the list of biggest earners worldwide in 2024, but was beaten by much smaller projects including surprise hitLonglegsandTerrifier 3.
Argylleis officially in Apple TV+’s top 10. you’re able to catch the movie on the streamer now.
Watch on Apple TV+
