Overview
- After two weeks in release the Tom Cruise‑led satire has earned about $14.4 million in North America and $35.3 million worldwide, following an $8 million opening and a roughly 60% drop in its second weekend.
- Trade analysts now commonly project a theatrical loss near $245–250 million, a figure driven by weak ticket sales and estimates that the picture will finish with only about $50 million in total box office receipts.
- The scale of the shortfall rests on disputed math: Warner Bros. lists a $125 million production cost while trades report $160–180 million, and industry estimates add roughly $100 million for global marketing; the studio says Digger needs about $300 million to break even versus analysts’ ~$350 million estimate.
- Critical and audience response has been mixed to negative, with a low‑50s Rotten Tomatoes score and a C+ CinemaScore, prompting Warner Bros. to run “decide for yourself” marketing and leading several high‑profile artists to publicly defend the film.
- Executives are weighing financial and reputational fallout that could curb greenlighting of expensive, unconventional originals, and the result will be watched closely as Warner Bros. undergoes executive turnover and integrates with Skydance/Paramount.