Despite a renowned actor’s comeback to serious acting, a filmmaker who has won two best director accolades at the Oscars, and significant publicity comparable to the moon landing, the movie “Digger” appears destined to be among the most significant box office failures of the year.
Reported by Variety, the dark comedy directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and featuring Tom Cruise experienced a surge in costs from an initial budget of $125 million US to $160-180 million US, indicating a break-even point of approximately $350 million US when factoring in marketing expenses (Warner Bros. disputed this, stating their break-even figure is about $300 million US).
The film only garnered $1.2 million US in previews. As per the Hollywood Reporter, Warner anticipates a meager domestic weekend earning of $12-15 million US, marking a lackluster debut for the studio amidst a year already marked by underperforming releases. With previous films like “The Bride!,” “Supergirl,” “The End of Oak Street,” and “Practical Magic 2” appearing to have incurred losses, Warner Bros. potentially faces one of its biggest failures of the decade.
“Digger,” a peculiar narrative revolving around an oil magnate tasked with rectifying a calamity resulting from his drilling activities, always carried risks. This R-rated dark comedy chose to forgo the festival circuit entirely, banking on positive word of mouth and star power to draw audiences to theaters.
By sidestepping early critical reviews and targeting Cruise enthusiasts directly, the strategy seemed logical, marking the actor’s first venture outside franchise films since the 2017 Barry Seal biopic “American Made.”
Directed by Iñárritu, known for the Oscar-winning “Birdman” and “The Revenant,” the film faced criticism early on, potentially jeopardizing its prospects. Described as “the worst movie of Tom Cruise’s career” by the Boston Globe, “a metafictional morass” by RogerEbert.com, and “a lumbering white elephant” by the New York Times, the negative feedback prompted the producers to release an advertisement showcasing Cruise’s character lambasting critics.
Despite some positive reviews, even enthusiasts of the film, like the writer from CBC, forecasted that “Digger” was too avant-garde and unconventional to recoup its budget.
This situation potentially places Warner Bros. in a challenging position after a successful 2025, with movies like “Sinners,” “Weapons,” and “One Battle After Another.” Their 2026 lineup, featuring titles such as “Wuthering Heights,” “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,” and “Evil Dead Burn,” achieved respectable figures, but no Warner film has surpassed $100 million US domestically this year.
In the worst-case scenario, “Digger”‘s failure could align it with other major 2026 flops like “Melania,” which earned around $16 million US against a reported $40 million budget, and “Desert Warrior,” led by Anthony Mackie, which barely grossed $1 million US against a purported $150 million US budget, marking the year’s most substantial failure.
Despite the anticipated poor performance, “Digger” may still hold value for Warner Bros. Speculations persist on Cruise’s potential Academy Awards success, and given his films’ strong brand recognition, it might find popularity on streaming platforms.
The movie’s letdown arrives just before Warner Bros.’ full acquisition by Paramount on Tuesday. Additionally, the disappointing outcome coincided with reports from the Hollywood Reporter suggesting that Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, Warner’s director-friendly film executives, might not remain with the company post-merger.
“Digger”‘s daring thematic choices, coupled with its dismal box office receipts, could signal challenges for the artistic decisions of the newly merged conglomerate.