Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle grosses just $1.7 million at its box office preview

Bryce Dallas Howard in Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle.

Universal Pictures

An action-spy comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn Argyle He hopes to be an agent of change at the box office this weekend, but completing the task may be difficult.

The film, whose star-studded cast is led by Henry Cavill and Bryce Dallas Howard, began its box office run with a lowly $1.7 million in Thursday previews. That’s not a surprise, considering the $200 million film was largely misrepresented by critics and is expected to earn only $15 million to $20 million in its domestic opening. There is definitely potential for upside if word of mouth is strong.

Universal is distributing the picture on behalf of Apple Original Films, which presents the show Argyle In collaboration with MARV, Cloudy Productions.

Whatever the result, Argyle This is still welcome news for theater owners, considering the general slowdown in production due to the continuing impact of last year’s strikes. There has been no new broad studio release in two weeks.

Argyle It has the advantage of playing on Imax and other premium large format screens, and is released in almost every market around the world.

Described by the filmmakers as a reality-bending spy thriller, the film centers on best-selling spy novel author (Howard), a cat-loving recluse. But when the plots of her books begin to unfold, her quiet days come to an end.

Accompanied by a spy with a cat allergy (Sam Rockwell), the writer – who carries her cat in her backpack – races across the world to stay one step ahead of killers. The cast also includes John Cena, Ariana DeBose, Dua Lipa, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Sofia Boutella, and Samuel L. Jackson. Alfie plays Chip, the real-life cat of supermodel Claudia Vonn (née Schiffer).

Vaughn is directed by a screenplay by Jason Foxx (Wonder Woman).

Apple pledged its commitment to theater last year when it announced it would give some films proper big-screen exposure, starting with Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-nominated film. Moonflower Killers Ridley Scott follows him Napoleon. Both films also cost $200 million or more, yet Apple isn’t judged as the old Hollywood studio when it comes to box office performance due to its deep pockets.

Although it may be a reward, my dear, the killers It grossed just $157.6 million at the global box office. Napoleon It has performed somewhat better with $219.4 million so far.