Henry Cavill has gone from being down on his luck in the industry, constantly missing out on roles, to rising as one of Netflix’s top-earning stars. For the longest time, he has played only supporting roles in movies until he found his breakthrough moment as the iconic Superman. However, after Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Cavill has not had a massive big-screen success. While his fandom was all geared up for his grand return to theaters in 2024, it seems like his comeback has ended up being nothing more than a damp squib.

The British actor is on track for a colossal box office disaster, as his latest film does not seem to have a prayer of recouping even half of its investment.

Henry Cavill headed for a crash and burn at the box office

The box office disappointment in question is Henry Cavill’s latest spy action thriller, Argylle. The movie received a lot of attention months before it hit the theatres. However, when it came to box office numbers, all the hype and bold claims about it revolutionizing the spy genre turned out to be just hot air. The $200 million blockbuster debuted to a disappointing $18 million on its opening day, barely scratching the surface of its massive budget. Now Variety predicted that it will plummet by 32% in its third weekend.

The report suggested that the Matthew Vaughn-directed movie would not even crack the $40 million mark domestically in its first 17 days of release. The movie also missed out on being one of those hidden gems that flopped, as it was slammed by critics with a measly score of 35%. Audience reception was not impressive either and they gave the film a so-so C+ CinemaScore. But what went so wrong that not even Taylor Swift‘s rumored involvement or Cavill and Dua Lipa’s on-screen spark could rescue the movie?

Quirky premise, lofty promise, and early dismiss- here is a rundown of the factors that may have led to Argylle‘s box office flop.

Why Argylle flopped at the box office? 

Henry Cavill starrer Argylle got the most amount of attention for its promise of being a departure from the usual spy fantasies. Matthew Vaughn even made a subtle dig at the James Bond franchise’s approach to spy movies, calling it “ridiculous“. Not only that, he also brought cutting-edge filming techniques to the action scenes, promising to break new ground. However, the creators overlooked the risk of launching entirely new narratives. 

If viewers are not familiar with the narrative, there is a chance they might pass it by altogether. Additionally, following its premiere, the movie received scathing early reviews from critics. They took aim at the film’s overly extended plot and its lack of originality. Despite its efforts to strive for something unique, it ultimately ended up in the same old spy thriller clichés, along with some questionable CGI. All these factors contributed to the movie’s failure, preventing it from recouping even half of its overall budget.

What do you think about Argylle‘s box office performance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!