The spy comedy “Argylle” earned the No. 1 spot at the box office in its opening weekend, but brought in only $18 million in 3,605 theaters, according to Box Office Mojo, after Apple reportedly spent more than $200 million to make its latest theatrical release.
The Matthew Vaughn film, starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Bryan Cranston, brings in only $18 ... [+]
The latest Apple movie, which was distributed by Universal and was the only new major release this weekend, had similar luck globally, bringing in $17.3 million outside the United States, Variety reported.
The movie—directed by Matthew Vaughn, and boasting a large cast, including Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, Henry Cavill and Sam Rockwell—received a largely negative reception, with only 35% of critics giving it a positive review.
Rounding out the weekend’s highest earners at the box office was “The Chosen” ($6 million; 2,263 theaters), “The Beekeeper” ($5.3 million; 3,277 theaters) and “Wonka” ($4.8 million; 2,901), according to Box Office Mojo.
“Argylle” performed worse in its opening weekend than the last two theatrically released Apple films—“Killers of The Flower Moon,” which brought in $23.25 million in its opening weekend (3,628 theaters), and “Napoleon,” which brought in $20.6 million (3,500 theaters).
$200 million. That’s how much Apple Original Films reportedly spent to make “Argylle”.
While “Argylle” did not see the success many movies do in their box office opening weekends, Apple could defray the movie’s cost in other ways when it eventually premiers on Apple TV+. . Apple movies drive subscribers to the company’ streaming platform— revenue not publicly reported the way box office revenues are.
Variety reported that both Apple and Amazon plan to each invest $1 billion per year on theatrically released films.
“The Chosen”—this weekend’s second place finish—is a TV series, not a movie. The faith-based show, which premiered in theaters Thursday, is exclusively showing viewers the first three episodes of season 4 in cinemas. Episodes four through eight will premiere later in the month.
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Box Office: Is Martin Scorsese’s $200 Million Epic a Hit or Flop? (Variety)