NEW YORK — Apple has suffered its first box office flop.
Apple Studios’ $200 million star-studded spy thriller “Argyle” opened with $18 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The film, directed by Matthew Vaughn, managed to lead the box office over the weekend, but still attracted little interest from moviegoers.
Apple entered the original film business in 2019 and won a Best Picture Oscar for 2021’s “CODA,” but it’s only recently that the company has produced its own lineup of big-budget films.
The first two films, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, were successful.
Killers of the Flower Moon grossed $156 million worldwide, making no profit, but it remains one of the most celebrated films of 2023 and has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards.
“Napoleon,” which was released in November, collected $219 million worldwide, which was also not enough to make a profit. But both films enhanced Apple’s reputation as a home for top-notch directors and prestigious film production.
The same can’t be said for Argyle, a twisty thriller starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, and Henry Cavill. The film was badly damaged by critics, and was given a 35% “Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ticket buyers also gave it a poor rating, earning a C+ CinemaScore.
Apple has partnered with traditional studios for each of these releases. Universal Pictures was responsible for the release of “Argyle,” which opened in his 3,605 venues in North America and grossed an additional $17.3 million in 78 international markets.
Paramount produced “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and Sony produced “Napoleon.”
“Argyle” was directed by “Kingsman” director Vaughn, with the intention of starting a new series.
However, one of the biggest stories ahead of its release was speculation that Taylor Swift was involved in the film, due to the prominent presence of argyle prints and cats in promotional materials.
Despite much discussion online, Swift was not involved in the film.
Second place for the weekend was the Christian drama series “The Chosen.”
The first three episodes of the fourth season of the series, which dramatizes the life of Jesus, were shown in 2,263 theaters. The Angel Studio release grossed $6 million from Friday through Sunday.
It was another quiet weekend in theaters, with remaining ticket sales mostly going to holdovers and awards nominations.
Warner Bros. ‘Wonka’ exceeded $200 million domestically in its 8th week of release. Paramount’s “Mean Girls” grossed over $100 million after a four-week theatrical run. Amazon MGM’s “The Beekeeper,” in its fourth week of release, brought him close to $50 million.
A number of Oscar nominees were released in theaters in the past few months, but the top choice for theatrical release remains Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, starring Jeffrey Wright (MGM’s $15 million box office hit so far). ) and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” ($28.2 million, plus $4,011). 1,000,000,000 million overseas), starring Emma Stone.
Estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final national figures will be released on Monday.
1. “Argyle,” $18 million.
2. “The Chosen One,” $6 million.
3. “Beekeeper,” $5.3 million.
4. “Wonka,” $4.8 million.
5. “Migration,” $4.1 million.
6. “Mean Girls,” $4 million.
7. “Anyone But You,” $3.5 million.
8. “American Fiction,” $2.3 million.
9. “Poor Thing,” $2.1 million.
10. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” $2 million.
