Why Argylle Just Flopped
2. Poor Reviews & Word Of Mouth
The simplest way to explain Argylle's failure is that it just wasn't very good. Critical reviews were predominantly negative, with the film currently sitting at a poor 35% on Rotten Tomatoes.
And though many terrible films have been major commercial successes, in the post-pandemic landscape audiences have generally proven themselves to be considerably pickier about what they watch theatrically.
As a result, it's likely that many checked the Tomatometer, saw the naff reviews, and decided to watch Argylle on Apple TV+ instead in 45 days or so.
And on top of that, even those who did watch the movie weren't terribly impressed.
The brutal C+ CinemaScore - Vaughn's lowest to date - indicates it simply didn't deliver the film audiences were expecting, likely exacerbated by the bait-and-switch marketing, with numerous prominently promoted actors (namely Cavill) appearing for just a few brief scenes.