Overview
- The Tom Cruise‑starring Digger opened to about $8 million in the U.S. and roughly $20 million worldwide during its opening weekend, and earned mixed reviews with aggregate scores near 51 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and the mid‑40s on Metacritic.
- Reported production figures vary from roughly $125 million to as high as $160–180 million, and when combined with reported marketing spending, industry analysts say the film now faces projected losses of roughly $145–150 million and a break‑even target near $300–350 million.
- Warner Bros. shifted promotion to lean into the film’s divisiveness, running and then deleting an online ad that contrasted negative U.S. reviews with more positive international notices, a move that drew public backlash and galvanized coverage of the studio’s marketing choices.
- Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu told reporters the film is “not perfect” and framed Digger as an intentional, polarizing risk, while Cruise defended the project on social media even as outlets report the box‑office result has seriously weakened his immediate awards prospects.
- The failure intensifies scrutiny of Cruise’s near‑term project strategy and of Warner Bros.’ willingness to bankroll expensive, director‑driven films during a period of corporate merger and executive turnover, increasing the likelihood of more conventional choices next from the star and studio.