A spy origin story that struggled to find its footing at the box office

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The King's Man attempted to blend historical drama with the high-octane flair of the Kingsman franchise. Despite a star-studded cast and an ambitious premise tracing the secret roots of a global intelligence agency, the film faced significant production delays and a lukewarm reception from critics upon its eventual release.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the 2021 prequel explores the formation of the Kingsman organization during the early 20th century. The plot follows Orlando, Duke of Oxford, as he attempts to prevent a clandestine network from orchestrating global conflict. The narrative weaves historical figures like Grigori Rasputin and Archduke Franz Ferdinand into an alternate history, where the agency is established to counter shadow operatives manipulating the major empires of the time.

The production journey was fraught with challenges, including multiple release date shifts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally slated for November 2019, the film did not reach theaters until December 2021. During development, Vaughn sought a delicate balance between the franchise's signature fun tone and a more grounded historical approach. Some scenes, particularly those involving Rasputin, were reportedly cut to avoid an NC-17 rating, as the director felt they leaned too far into the stylized excess of previous installments.

Commercially, the film underperformed, grossing $126 million against a production budget estimated between $95 million and $100 million. While it struggled in cinemas, it found a larger audience on digital platforms, ranking as the most viewed movie across all US streaming services during the week ending February 20, 2022. Critical consensus was mixed, with reviewers praising Ralph Fiennes' performance while criticizing the film's tonal inconsistency. Although a direct sequel, The King's Man: The Traitor King, was once in development to explore the rise of Adolf Hitler, recent reports indicate that 20th Century Studios currently has no active plans for further entries in the series.

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