Despite a renowned actor’s return to serious acting, a two-time Academy Award-winning director, and significant publicity comparable to the moon landing, the movie “Digger” appears destined to be one of the most significant box office failures of the year.
As per reports from Variety, the dark comedy directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and featuring Tom Cruise experienced a budget increase from the initial $125 million US to a range of $160-180 million US, with a break-even point estimated at around $350 million US when factoring in marketing expenses. However, Warner Bros. contested this figure, asserting their break-even threshold is closer to $300 million US.
The film only managed to garner $1.2 million US in previews. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner anticipates a domestic weekend box office collection of just $12-15 million US, marking a disappointing opening amidst a year already marked by lackluster performances for the studio. Following the release of films like “The Bride!”, “Supergirl,” “The End of Oak Street,” and “Practical Magic 2,” all of which seemed to have incurred losses, the streak of failures may culminate in one of Warner Bros.’s most significant flops in the past decade.
“Digger,” a peculiar tale revolving around an oil magnate tasked with averting a catastrophe he caused through drilling, was always a risky venture. The R-rated dark comedy opted to forgo the festival circuit entirely, betting on positive word-of-mouth and the star power of Tom Cruise to draw audiences to theaters.
The decision to bypass early critical reviews and target Cruise enthusiasts directly had a certain logic, given that this marked the actor’s first non-franchise film since the 2017 Barry Seal biopic “American Made.”
Directed by Iñárritu, known for the award-winning “Birdman” and “The Revenant,” the film faced a wave of negative press as early critical reactions surfaced last month, jeopardizing its prospects.
Critics have not been kind to “Digger,” with the Boston Globe labeling it as “the worst movie of Tom Cruise’s career.” RogerEbert.com referred to it as “a metafictional morass,” while the New York Times described it as “a lumbering white elephant of a movie.” In response to the negative reviews, a promotional ad was released featuring Cruise’s character confronting critics.
Even critics who praised the film, like this writer, foresaw that “Digger” would be too unconventional and peculiar to recoup its budget fully.
Warner Bros. faces a challenging situation with the potential failure of “Digger” following a successful 2025, with hits such as “Sinners,” “Weapons,” and “One Battle After Another.” In contrast, their 2026 lineup has seen only modest success, with no Warner film surpassing $100 million US in domestic earnings this year.
At the worst estimates, “Digger” could join the ranks of 2026’s other major flops, such as “Melania” and “Desert Warrior,” underscoring the financial risk associated with ambitious projects.
Despite its projected underperformance, “Digger” could still hold value for Warner Bros., potentially even positioning Cruise for Academy Awards recognition and finding success on streaming platforms.
Notably, “Digger’s” failure coincides with the final release before Warner Bros.’ full acquisition by Paramount, coinciding with reports that key film executives may depart post-merger, raising questions about the conglomerate’s future artistic decisions.
