Despite a strong marketing push ahead of opening weekend, Matthew Vaughn's latest film Argylle failed to connect with critics and audiences, alike, who didn't seem to particularly enjoy the director's latest fare. It has been reflected by a disappointing weekend box office as the action spy comedy ultimately limped to the number one spot for its opening weekend.
Argylle's opening weekend started slow at the box office as the film only managed to pull in around $6.5 million for its Thursday night previews and Friday opening across 3,605 theaters across North America. The film only struggled from there and closed out the weekend with roughly $18 million total at the domestic box office, though this was still enough to secure the number one spot according to Variety.
The film didn't fare much better internationally, taking in another $17.3 million for a worldwide total of $35.3 million against a $200+ million budget.
“This is a weak opening for a new action comedy,” consultant David A. Gross told Variety. “For an original [action comedy] to break through, the humor has to jump off the screen. That’s not happening here.”
Following Argylle at the box office was Angel Studios' The Chosen, a TV series about the life of Jesus Christ that held a season four special screening through Fathom Events. The theatrical specials were enough to taken the number two spot at the domestic box office with $7.4 million since it began on Thursday.
Rounding out the top five was The Beekeeper, Wonka, and Migration at the number three, four, and five spots, respectively.
The Beekeeper took home another $5.28 million to add to its global haul of $122 million. Wonka followed close behind with $4.7 million, reinforcing the staying power the 2023 holiday season release managed to have during January 2024. The animated film Migration added $4.2 million to its own box office earnings and appears to have stuck around in theaters just long enough to turn a profit.