"Argylle," a new spy action comedy film from Matthew Vaughn, premiered in Beijing on Jan. 31, marking a significant milestone in movie projection development in China.

An installation featuring Alfie the cat in a cat backpack at the IMAX premiere of "Argylle" in Beijing, Jan. 31, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures]

The film, starring a stellar cast including Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Dua Lipa, and Samuel L. Jackson, tells the story of Elly Conway (Howard), a reclusive author known for her best-selling espionage novels following secret agent Argylle. When Elly discovers that the plots of her books mirror the actions of a real-life spy organization, she puts her cat Alfie in a backpack and teams up with Aidan (Rockwell), racing across the world trying to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly's fictional world and her real one begins to blur. 

This delightfully preposterous popcorn movie is bolstered by Vaughn's signature extravagant and artfully violent action sequences and a roller coaster of plot twists, bringing garishly off-the-wall fun to the audience.

Howard and Cavill greeted Chinese audiences via a pre-recorded video at the premiere. "This movie is about to take you on an incredible globetrotting experience where everything is not always quite what it seems," Howard said, adding, "So remember, once you know the secret of our film, please do not let the cat out of the bag!”

The film project "Argylle" was announced in June 2021, with director Vaughn describing it as his "ode" to 1980s action thrillers such as "Die Hard" and "Lethal Weapon." Apple TV+ acquired the rights to the film for $200 million for online release, but the film will first be released in theaters by Universal Pictures and Apple Original Films. The film is intended to be the first in a trilogy as well as a part of a shared spy universe with the "Kingsman" franchise.

Audiences come to the Cinity premiere of "Argylle" in Beijing, Jan. 31, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Cinity]

The film is set to be released nationwide in China on Feb. 23, marking the first time an imported foreign film has been shown in 48fps Cinity AI Master Reproduction (AMR). This cutting-edge movie projection technology, developed in China, greatly enhances the film in terms of color, dynamic range, brightness, resolution, and frame rate, further elevating the movie viewing experience. Audiences were amazed and thrilled by the AMR 48fps version of "Argylle" at a premiere screening in Beijing's Cinity theater, incorporating advanced film technologies such as 4K resolution, a high frame rate, increased brightness, high dynamic range, a wide color gamut, and immersive sound. Cinity promises to release more high-frame-rate versions of films in the future, ushering in a new era of high-frame-rate viewing for audiences.

"Argylle" will kick off a post-Spring Festival film period, including several imported Hollywood films, such as the re-release of the recently Oscar-nominated "Oppenheimer," "Kung Fu Panda 4," "Dune: Part Two," and "Madame Web."

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