After a few weeks without any studio wide releases, Apple Original Films‘ Argylle via Universal is hoping to entice moviegoers back, but it won’t be in a big way. Thursday night’s previews for the Matthew Vaughn-directed PG-13 action movie made $1.7 million, which is below the $2.4M previews clocked by Amazon MGM’s The Beekeeper a few weeks ago. That movie posted a $16.5M opening, so any hope that the $200 million-budgeted Argylle will get to that $20M-plus that some exhibitors were seeing — I don’t think so.
Argylle was booked at 3,100 theaters last night and has all the cinema upcharges this weekend of PLF and Imax, etc. Reviewers at 34% on Rotten Tomatoes already are screaming “don’t go.” This despite the fact that the $200 million MARV-Cloudy production has an all-star cast of Henry Cavill, John Cena, Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, Grammy-winning pop superstar Dua Lipa, Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Bryan Cranston, Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara, Sofia Boutella and Marvel’s Samuel L. Jackson.
Meanwhile, Fathom Events’ Season 4 of The Chosen did an estimated $1.4M at 2,236 theaters; that’s for episodes 1-3. Episodes 4-6 hit on February 15, while episodes 7-8 debut in theaters February 29.
While Beekeeper was beaten by Paramount’s Mean Girls in their respective third weekends $6.9M to $6.6M, the Jason Statham movie ruled over the Plastics in their second weeks, $9.2M at 3,337 to $8.9M at 3,544. Beekeeper‘s domestic running total stands at $44.1M, Mean Girls at $62.3M.
Following Mean Girls, Warner Bros’ Wonka was third for the week with $7.1M at 3,014 theaters, and a running total of $196.3M. Man, it has to cross $200M this weekend.
Sony’s Anyone But You, booked at 2,885 theaters, ended its Week 6 with $6.4M and a running total of $72.7M.
Illumination/Universal’s Migration at 2,970 theaters ends Week 6 with $6M, and a $102M running stateside cume.