Argyle : A comedy homage to spy films that fails at the box office
Matthew Vaughn has had several successes in the past. With Kick ass (2010), then with Kingsman (2015). In this way, the director convinced the public and the press, which allowed him to launch a rather profitable saga, with three films to date. The director also directed X-Men: First Class (2011). There was therefore a certain expectation for his latest film Argyle, which came out in theaters earlier this year. Especially since for this spy comedy Matthew Vaughn was able to offer a quality cast with Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell and Henry Cavill in the foreground, but also John Cena and Dua Lipa as cameos, while Bryan Cranston and Samuel L. Jackson plays secondary roles.
Finally, the story seemed quite original to us as it is about an author of spy books who finds herself involved in a dirty affair. Real spies and real criminals having discovered that his novels were a little too faithful to reality, he became a target for some to shoot down, for others to defend. UnlessArgyle it actually has many twists and turns. And this summary is only a small part of what Matthew Vaughn’s film is really about.
Unfortunately, this attempt by the director did not convince the public. Despite its massive $200 million budget (to which the costs of the promotion must be added), Argyle only reported 96 million dollars worldwide. A huge commercial flop therefore, which was not even spared by critics.
“What have I done to offend these people?”
With, to date, only 33% positive reviews on Rotten tomatoes, Argylle was not well received in the press. At CinéSérie we saw it as a “long and visually laborious” film. Matthew Vaughn recently returned to this failure in the magazine Empire (through Variety). And she did not hide her disappointment and his incomprehension in the face of these negative reviews. According to him, the test screenings had been “Fantastic“and he was sure he understood it”A fun, feel-good movie“But seeing the response from the press, the director had the impression that he had insulted people with his film.
We didn’t make Citizen Kane, but damn, the reviews came out and I thought, “Wait, what have I done to offend these people?” They were vitriolic. I’m not saying the movie is perfect, far from it, but I didn’t think it was offensive. This took me by surprise.
Matthew Vaughn really questioned these virulent reactions, because they were numerous and that he couldn’t ignore them. We therefore note the absence of real questions from the filmmaker who limited himself to proposing too uneven a filmswollen and a thousand miles fromVery Special Agents: Code UNCLEanother homage to the spy genre.
Matthew Vaughn believes in an Argylle sequel
On the other hand, Matthew Vaughn still hopes to one day direct the film a sequence ofArgyle thanks to AppleTV+. Shortly after its theatrical release, the film was available on the platform in the United States. According to the director, the streaming views are quite positive and he would receive more many encouraging messages.
People appreciate it. Nothing would make me happier than making another one. I get messages saying, “Wow, those reviews were really harsh!” The more people watch Argylle, the more likely we are to make another one. I’d like to do another one, we already have a plan for that.
To us, this seems more like a form of denial and a big call for new people to be tempted Argyle on AppleTV+. To see if this will be enough for a sequel to be validated…
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
