Moviegoers didn’t dig “Digger,” to put it mildly.
Saddled with terrible reviews and negative word-of-mouth, Tom Cruise‘s absurdist dark comedy has cratered at the box office with $8 million in North America and $20 million globally in its first weekend of release. Those dismal ticket sales were behind earlier projections of $12 million to $15 million and nowhere near the $40 million domestic debut that box office experts suggest a movie of this size would need to justify its price tag.
With a production budget of $160 million to $180 million, “Digger” is bracing to become not just one of the biggest flops of the year but potentially of all time. Warner Bros. spent another $100 million on marketing efforts, so “Digger” has a theatrical break-even point of roughly $350 million globally, according to executives with knowledge of similar films. A studio spokesperson pushed back, saying the film’s break-even point is $300 million. Since “Digger” isn’t in danger of nearing either figure, the movie is primed to lose at least $150 million to $200 million theatrically. It’s a sad coda for Warner Bros. as the 103-year-old studio’s last standalone release before merging with Paramount. (The deal is expected to close this week.)
Here are five takeaways from the opening weekend of “Digger.”
Bad buzz killed any curiosity
Cruise may be one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but even his name alone can’t sell an offbeat, R-rated environmental satire about an oil tycoon who sparks a potential global disaster. That’s where reviews and word-of-mouth are crucial. Unfortunately, neither critics nor moviegoers responded to “Digger,” which was saddled with a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes and “C+” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. Warner Bros. tried to embrace the negativity with Instagram and X spots that told people to “decide for yourself” after reviews lambasted the movie as “unpleasant” and “baffling.” It was a funny gambit for social media, but it’s not the kind of sentiment that inspires anyone to want to part with their hard-earned cash.
Auteurist swings are necessary for Hollywood’s survival, but they can’t come with blank checks
Like many movies greenlit by Warner Bros. co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, “Digger” cost way too much to ever get out of the red in this harsh box office environment. The studio’s bold bet on “Sinners” paid off financially after the R-rated horror film became a massive hit with $371 million against a $90 million price tag. But a majority of their big-budget gambles — from 2024’s “Joker: Folie à Deux” to 2025’s “Mickey 17” to 2026’s “The Bride!” — lost a ton of money for the studio.
Cruise has been a box office draw since the ’80s, through movies like “Risky Business,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Top Gun.” And he’s become synonymous with action stardom through the long-running “Mission: Impossible” franchise. Meanwhile, director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s solid commercial track record includes 2014’s “Birdman” and 2015’s “The Revenant,” which earned plenty of Oscar nominations in addition to scoring at the box office. That’s why De Luca and Abdy were willing to spend big on “Digger.” For Hollywood, the takeaway isn’t to avoid taking creative risks. But even a duo with their pedigree can’t get a carte blanche these days to make a movie that’s decidedly not for mainstream crowds.
International box office crisis
Foreign audiences were supposed to be the saving grace after domestic projections began to nosedive in the the days leading up to release. Cruise’s movies usually make the majority of their money at the international box office anyway. Perhaps that’s why another Warner Bros. marketing spot tried to suggest that only Americans disliked “Digger.” It turns out, that wasn’t totally true. The movie was equally rejected overseas with a paltry $12 million from 73 markets. Ouch.
Cruise’s unconventional press tour didn’t jibe with today’s moviegoers
Cruise famously doesn’t engage with press, which historically hasn’t mattered much for sequels to “Mission: Impossible” or “Top Gun.” He’s been able to promote those movies by touting the death-defying stunts that he performs as globe-trotting IMF agent Ethan Hunt or pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell — including scaling the Burj Khalifa or flying real fighter jets.
His only kinetically impressive feat for “Digger” was sitting for six hours in the makeup chair and donning a fat suit. Cruise worked (if selectively) to talk up the film, making rounds on Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast and other influencer-heavy spots, sitting for his first cover story in two decades with GQ magazine, and dancing through the spirit tunnel on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” In those interviews, he managed to avoid any revealing questions while turning every response into a chance to reiterate his adoration for the big screen. Instead of generating excitement about “Digger,” most of his press efforts wound up polarizing the masses and failed to move the needle.
Marketing can’t hinge the campaign on Cruise’s cinematic legacy
Since there weren’t new stunts to sell, the marketing department at Warner Bros. opted to position “Digger” as an ode to Mr. Movies. Early trailers for “Digger” doubled as a Cruise retrospective, with a three-minute montage reflecting on his 46-year career featuring clips from “Top Gun,” “Risky Business,” “Jerry Maguire,” “A Few Good Men” and “Mission: Impossible” before introducing the world to “Digger.” (It was a curious choice considering Iñárritu says he made “Digger” as a “love letter for the young generation,” many of whom weren’t alive when those movies were playing in theaters.) Fans of any age can’t be expected to buy a ticket just because they’ve loved Cruise’s prior blockbusters. On YouTube, the caption on the first teaser for “Digger” says, “We’ve never trusted a man more.” After this weekend, that declaration might come with an asterisk.