'Argylle' director Matthew Vaughn was hurt by the "vitriolic" reaction to his movie.
Matthew Vaughn was hurt by the Argylle backlash
The 53-year-old filmmaker was at the helm of the star studded spy comedy - which featured the likes of Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena and Samuel L. Jackson - and he admitted the poor reaction from critics and many fans left him disappointed and "rattled".
He told Empire magazine: “My guard came down on 'Argylle'. We had done test screenings that had gone fantastically well.
"The premiere was a really fun night, and it was like going back to the 'Snatch' days where there was such excitement. And I started drinking the Kool-Aid.
“It’s a fun, feel-good movie, or I thought it was a fun, feel-good movie. We didn’t make 'Citizen Kane', but f****** hell, then the reviews came out and I’m like, ‘Wait, what have I done to offend these people?’
"They were vitriolic. I’m not saying the movie’s perfect by any means, but I didn’t think it was offensive. That took me by surprise.”
Vaughn even found himself visiting cinemas to try and discover where things went wrong.
He added: “I even went round to cinemas because I thought, ‘Maybe I’ve lost the plot now.’ It did rattle me.
“I’m genuinely scratching my head about that, because you can’t ignore it. It wasn’t like [just] a few bad reviews.”
However, he wants to "learn" from the experience - and he's even open to more films with Cavill's Argylle, which was his original goal before the first movie got panned.
He said: "We’re doing very well on streaming. People are liking it. Nothing would make me happier than making another one.
"I’m getting texts saying, ‘Wow, those reviews were f****** harsh!’ The more we can get people to watch 'Argylle', the more chance we make another one.
"I’d love to make another one, we’ve got it planned.”
Tagged in Matthew Vaughn Sam Rockwell Henry Cavill