{"id":791356,"date":"2026-10-04T04:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T04:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/791356\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T04:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T04:40:08","slug":"tom-cruise-defends-digger-as-it-bombs-in-box-office-opening-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/791356\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Cruise Defends ‘Digger’ as It Bombs in Box Office Opening Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tTom Cruise<\/a> isn\u2019t prepared to bury Digger<\/a> just yet, despite the movie\u2019s disappointing box office<\/a> opening. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe star took to social media on Saturday morning to share behind-the-scenes photos from the film\u2019s shoot and express his appreciation to the cast and crew. Centering on an egotistical oil tycoon who causes a natural disaster, director Alejandro G. I\u00f1\u00e1rritu<\/a>\u2018s $125 million-budgeted satire is heading to around $8 million<\/a> in a rough debut weekend for the ambitious project. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDigger is officially in theaters and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to create this film alongside such talented artists,\u201d Cruise posted<\/a>. \u201cThank you to the entire cast and crew for your dedication, hard work and joy. The experience was truly unforgettable and I\u2019m so proud of what we created.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWarner Bros.<\/a> released the movie Friday in 3,300 North American theaters, with the studio seeing the project as a big creative swing that it hopes to carry awards potential. Alas, its path appears quite challenging<\/a>, given that Digger earned a C+ CinemaScore from audiences and holds a 51 percent approval from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes. In his review<\/a> for The Hollywood Reporter, chief film critic David Rooney dismissed the film as \u201cdead and buried.\u201d Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra H\u00fcller round out the cast.<\/p>\n

DIGGER is officially in theaters and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to create this film alongside such talented artists. Thank you to the entire cast and crew for your dedication, hard work, and joy. The experience was truly unforgettable and I\u2019m so proud of what we\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/3YBblCnL3E<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) October 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tDigger sees a portly, balding Cruise taking a break from the action-loaded franchise features that his audience has come to expect, as the new movie harkens back to his earlier-career focus on filmmaker-forward projects like Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July and Magnolia. The star won\u2019t wait too long to get back to IP-driven action fare, as Days of Thunder 2 soon revs up production.<\/p>\n

\n\tAmazon MGM Studios\u2019 Anne Hathaway-led thriller Verity<\/a>, which adapts the Colleen Hoover novel, will open atop the domestic box office chart with around $33 million. Digger is likely to mark the lowest opening weekend for Cruise since 2007\u2019s war drama Lions for Lambs, which debuted with $6.7 million from a far smaller budget.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring an onstage conversation earlier in the week following a Los Angeles screening of Digger, Cruise discussed his pursuit of success throughout his career after having started in the business at a young age. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMy hope is always that the films would do well enough that I would have that opportunity to do it again,\u201d the actor said of making movies. \u201cPeople want to see real things. This career, we have to work to do it. It was never handed to any of us. I want you to know that.\u201d<\/p>\n