With the controversial release of Joker: Folie à deuxwhich was recently smashed by a big director, we look back at the failures (unexpected or not) at the box office this year: the film starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga may have underperformed, but it is not one of the worst. The biggest box office failure so far has been an action movie you probably forgot about: For Argy.
Apple paid the astronomical sum of $200 million to acquire the rights to the film directed by Matthew Vaughn. Added to this is $80 million invested in marketing, although Apple shared this sum 50/50 with Universal, the distributor ofFor Argy in the rooms. This gives us a total investment of $280 million that has not even been recovered.
One of the biggest flops in history
If we look at the final revenues ofFor Argywe see that the film left theaters with a turnover of 96.2 million dollars. In the absence of an exact measurement, it is assumed that movie theaters take around 50% (there are countries where it is more and others where it is less), which would give Apple and Universal an income of $48.1 million.
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By simple subtraction, this would mean thatFor Argy generated losses estimated at around 230 million in cinemas. Later, Apple even made a little more money by having exclusive streaming rights to the film. It is not yet available in France, but in other countries, it is not a huge success on the platform either.
What is the story?
In For ArgyElly (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) is a renowned author who made her name with a series of spy novels featuring Agent Argylle, played by Henry Cavill. Unexpectedly, Elly’s plot ceases to be mere fiction and becomes reality, placing the writer at the center of a complex and dangerous web of double-dealing and murder.
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With the help of Aiden (Sam Rockwell) and the cat Alfie – her faithful companion – Elly must face the consequences of the collision between the real world and the fictional world. The cast also includes Dua Lipa, Sofia Boutella and John Cena.
Article written in collaboration with our colleagues from I love cinema.
