Box Office Report: I Spy a Flop

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | February 5, 2024 |

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | February 5, 2024 |

While it took the top spot at the box office this past weekend, that didn’t mean Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle could take a victory lap. The spy comedy, written by Jason Fuchs and a totally real author called Elly Conway, grossed $18 million from 3,605 locations. The reported budget for this movie is around $200 million. Ouch. Reviews were lousy, there was little enthusiasm for this intended franchise, and none of the forced mystery around the author of the story stuck.

The film was produced by Apple but distributed in the USA by Universal, so I imagine they’ll try to push this hard on streaming, and it does seem like the kind of film that was made to be watched at home and then immediately forgotten about. Remember Netflix’s Red Notice? Exactly. The tech giant can, at least, afford to have a few mega-flops, although Killers of the Flower Moon earned them some critical clout and a slew of Oscar nominations. It seems as though every ‘disruptor’ studio is trying to reverse-engineer a hit and nothing is really sticking with audiences who have far more options available and are still choosing to rewatch Suits.

At number two is the fourth season premiere of the Jesus historical drama The Chosen. The first three episodes were grouped together for a theatrical release and earned just over $6 million from 2,263 locations. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Christian movies tend to be low-to-mid-budget hits, and this one comes with some critical support, which is far less common. Suck it, Kirk Cameron.

Wonka just passed the $200 million mark in domestic grosses, while rom-com Anyone But You has over $76.2 million in the bank in the US. Slower burn box office performers held it together over the quiet January, and audience word-of-mouth made a real impact. It’s hard to fake getting cynical potential viewers excited enough to leave their houses in January.

The only other new release of the weekend was the indie drama How to Have Sex. It does not contain any hints or advice on how to bone down. Sorry. But it is worth your time! It earned $52,008 from four locations.

This coming week sees the theatrical debut of Pixar’s Turning Red, the horror rom-com Lisa Frankenstein, and the French romantic culinary drama The Taste of Things.

You can check out the rest of the weekend box office here.