While it wasn't totally clear whether Argylle would hit or miss upon its release, the film's level of failure is quite surprising. Though how much Argylle cost has not been confirmed, it was rumored that Argylle cost $200 million, which makes its $18 million earnings in ticket sales and its $35.5 million total look really awful. That leaves only one question to be answered: why did Argylle bomb so badly? Its star-studded cast and established director should have helped it along, and yet, other important factors led to its defeat.

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8 Argylle Is Not A Well-Known Franchise

Audiences were not familiar with Argylle

One of the first hits against Argylle was the fact that it is an entirely brand-new property. While audiences often complain about the influx of sequels and spinoffs that overwhelm theaters, the fact is that entirely new stories are always at risk of failing. If viewers are not familiar with a story, then they may ignore it completely. Along with that, there was no guarantee that Argylle would become a franchise later on. In this way, not even Matthew Vaughn's involvement could save Argylle. Its newness made it hard to engage audiences.

7 Argylle's Early Reviews Were Not Good

Critics slammed the spy thriller

Another major problem for Argylle was its early reviews. After the film premiered on February 2, 2024, the first wave of reviews were unpleasant. Critics disliked Argylle because of its over-long plot and its predictability. Though the film attempts to be fresh and exciting, it follows the same old tropes of a classic spy thriller, and never settles into its groove or its meaning. There were also complaints about the film's CGI and action scenes. Ultimately, Argylle earned a 35% on Rotten Tomatoes via critics, and now, its 71% audience score likely won't be able to save it.

6 Matthew Vaughn's The King's Man Did Not Perform Well

Matthew Vaughn's past performances may have hurt this one

While Argylle mostly had itself to blame for its box office performance, there are some external factors to consider as well. Namely, the popularity of Matthew Vaughn himself. While the director is well-liked for his quirky, action-filled projects, not all of them have been hits, especially recently. Vaughn's last film, The King's Man, was a prequel to his Kingsmen film franchise, and it performed better than Argylle, but not much more than that. The film earned $126 million on a $95-100 million budget. Therefore, it's possible that The King's Man's poor performance made audiences uninterested in seeing Vaughn's newest project.

5 Argylle's Marketing Campaign Was Too Unique

The trailer for Argylle was too much for audiences to decipher

Although having a unique marketing campaign usually bodes well for movies, in the case of Argylle, it hurt more than it helped. Over the past few months, Argylle has been d via its trailer, which begins with Henry Cavill and Dua Lipa playing spies, but falls apart to reveal the real story following Elly Conway. While this concept makes sense and is unique among other current movies, it may have been a stretch for audiences. If viewers lost interest before the trailer could explain itself, then Argylle could have lost out on viewers. Plus, confusion could still be a factor.

4 January & February Are Bad Months For Movies

Box office numbers are generally low in the new year

Another external factor that definitely hurt Argylle was its release window. Argylle's release date was February 2, which is right around the time when movie theaters are at a low point, and this likely had an effect on its success. Oftentimes, January and February are months wherein movies are not at their best quality, and also, audiences are less likely to go to the movie theater. In this way, box office numbers tend to plateau at this time of the year. Therefore, it makes sense that Argylle, despite its cast, suffered from losses due to its release date.

3 Argylle's Budget Was Too High

Argylle's estimated budget was $200 million

While Argylle has earned about $35.5 million worldwide in its first weekend, the film cost approximately $200 million, making its budget astronomically larger than its earnings. This number, $200 million, is what Apple paid for the film, and though Matthew Vaughn denied the figure in an interview with Deadline, it is likely not significantly less. In this way, Argylle was doomed from the start because of its budget. It would have been hard enough to recoup $200 million, but to double it would have been a massive feat, especially for a completely original story.

2 Argylle Has A Premise That Is Too Quirky

Argylle was too out of the ordinary

Similar to its marketing campaign, Argylle may have pushed audiences away by being too quirky. Although Matthew Vaughn's films are known, and sometimes lauded, for their distinctive atmospheres and strange campiness, there is no guarantee that this is always going to work for every one of his movies. When it comes to Argylle, viewers may have been off-put by the film's unique set-up and world, and were unsure of what to expect. In this way, they didn't bother to see the movie because they did not think they would connect with it.

1 Argylle's Runtime Is Too Long For An Upbeat Spy Thriller

Argylle's genre made its runtime feel overlong

A final detail that could've affected Argylle's box office was its runtime. This subject came up often in Argylle's bad reviews and is often a deterrent for audiences looking for a movie to see. Although Argylle has a runtime of around 2 hours and 20 minutes, which is pretty standard for movies, a light-hearted spy thriller could likely be shorter. Based on Argylle's whimsical world, audiences may have expected a briefer film, and when they saw the runtime, were less eager to go. This is a small detail, but certainly one that could have had an effect on Argylle.