Overview
- Digger opened in wide release on October 2 and reported roughly $8 million in North America and about $12 million internationally, far below the level needed to cover the film’s reported $135–$180 million production cost plus about $100 million in marketing.
- Warner Bros. has run promotional messaging urging audiences to “decide for yourself” as early reviews split over the film’s tone and satire and pundits and columnists criticized the movie’s reception strategy.
- High‑profile industry figures including Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda and John Goodman publicly defended the film and Tom Cruise has said he remains proud and hopeful, arguing that modern openings do not always reflect a film’s full run.
- Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and collaborators have stressed the film’s technical ambition — large‑format VistaVision shooting, heavy prosthetics and a single, months‑planned final shot — as central artistic choices that some critics found divisive.
- Exhibitors have already scaled back premium bookings with IMAX removing Digger after one week, a move that reduces revenue potential and raises questions about studio willingness to fund costly auteur projects going forward.