'Argylle' director Matthew Vaughn was hurt by the "vitriolic" reaction to his movie.

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.”