After a relatively quiet Christmas movie season at the box office and January being a movie dumping ground, we get our first big release of the year with Matthew Vaughn’s spy flick, Argylle. The early reactions to star-studded action comedy have been pretty positive, with the consensus from audiences at advanced screenings being that it is a fun time. Our own Chris Bumbray would say in his review, “It’s silly – but intentionally so. If you like your spy flicks infused with a heavy dose of camp and are maybe tired of espionage tales being ultra-serious, this might be just the ticket. And, as a bonus, if you ever wanted to get a feel for what a Bond film might be like with an everyman like Sam Rockwell in the lead.”
However, according to Deadline, the Thursday previews would perform below what was originally expected. Many exhibitors estimated that a movie such as Argylle would go for a $20 million-plus kind of opening. Thursday previews totaled in at $1.7 million, which falls below the $2.4 million that Jason Statham’s The Beekeeper earned in early previews. The Beekeeper would go on to open with $16.5 million, which means that one can assume that unless there is a major surge in moviegoers this weekend, Argylle will not likely be hitting the $20 million estimates.
While the early reactions gave a much more positive impression, the critical score over at Rotten Tomatoes come in at just 35%. The audience reactions are a mixed bag of viewers who had a lot of fun and viewers who found the movie convoluted, as well as running on for too long. Argylle had screened at 3,100 theaters last night and has the benefit of all the cinema upcharges this weekend of IMAX and other large-format premium screens.
The film may not be a well-known IP, but should this movie come out as a success, Matthew Vaughn has planned an extension for a franchise with two sequels. Vaughn told Total Film, “Book one is about: how did Argylle become a spy? That will be the next film. And then Argylle 2 is – I don’t want to give it all away, but there’s the young Argylle, and that becomes Henry, because Henry loves the idea of doing a proper Argylle movie as well.” However, he wanted to see what the reception and the business for Argylle was like first. “Everybody complains there’s not enough original stuff, but it’s because they don’t go see it. People have got to buy tickets first, or there won’t be f***ing anything.“