LOS ANGELES,
Hollywood has always loved a comeback and a spectacle, and 'Digger' was supposed to deliver both. The film pairs Tom Cruise, one of the last true movie-star draws, with director Alejandro González Iñárritu, in a black comedy about a gray-haired oil tycoon blamed for an epic climate disaster. Instead, the film is making headlines for the wrong reasons.
According to Newser, drawing on the BBC and Variety, 'Digger' has grossed $8 million domestically and $35 million worldwide so far. Ticket sales fell 60 percent in its second weekend. The BBC has said the picture could become 'one of the biggest film flops in Hollywood history.'
The math of a flop
The film is thought to have cost Warner Bros. about $160 million to make, plus roughly another $100 million to market. Studios typically need a film to earn well beyond its production budget to break even once theaters take their share, so a $35 million global total is far from the target. The projected loss is at least $200 million, per the reporting.
A 60 percent second-weekend drop is a telling number. Big openings usually fade by 40 to 60 percent in week two, but when the opening is already modest, a steep fall signals that word of mouth is not rescuing the film. Audience scores support that read: CinemaScore, which polls opening-night moviegoers, gave 'Digger' a C+, while critics were more divided, with a 53 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
A film of big swings
'Digger' is not a conventional blockbuster. It is an auteur-driven black comedy built around a climate catastrophe, with a movie star playing against type as an older, gray-haired executive taking the blame. That is a bold choice for a film of this price, and it is easy to see why the pairing of Cruise and Iñárritu sounded like a prestige event on paper.
The reaction has been polarized rather than uniformly negative. Anne Hathaway rated the film '10/10,' and actor Mandy Patinkin called it 'one of the greatest pieces of film I have ever seen in my entire life.' Those endorsements show that the film has passionate defenders even as the commercial numbers look grim.
Cruise's response
Cruise has not shied away from the film. During opening weekend he posted on social media, 'I'm so proud of what we created.' The BBC also reports that he has said he focuses on making movies that will 'last and evolve' rather than chasing box-office earnings.
That stance has a long history in the industry. Films that underperform on release sometimes find a second life on streaming and home video, and critical reappraisals can follow years later. Whether 'Digger' will be one of them is impossible to know now, but the argument will be made by its supporters.
The wider context for studios
The timing is awkward for Warner Bros., which is part of a rapidly changing media landscape. Elsewhere in the news cycle, Sports Media Watch has noted the formal merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery under Skydance. Large corporate transitions tend to bring tighter scrutiny of spending, and a loss of this size will not go unnoticed.
Industry observers will likely ask whether expensive, original, adult-oriented films can still be financed at this level. The success of franchise titles has made mid-budget and star-driven originals harder to justify, and a high-profile miss may strengthen the case for caution. It could just as easily be read as a one-off, a risky creative bet that did not connect.
What this means for you
For moviegoers, the box-office story is mostly background: a film's financial fate does not change whether you will enjoy it. The mixed critics' score and the C+ audience grade suggest it may divide viewers, so reading a few reviews before buying a ticket is sensible.
If you are curious, the film's reported theatrical struggles often mean it will reach streaming sooner, though no date has been confirmed in the coverage we reviewed. And if you are a fan of Cruise, this is a reminder that even the biggest stars cannot guarantee a hit when the material is unconventional.
The bottom line
'Digger' is shaping up as one of the year's most talked-about commercial disappointments, with a reported loss of at least $200 million and a sharp second-weekend decline. Yet the film also has vocal admirers and a star who stands by it. In Hollywood, the box office delivers the first verdict, but rarely the last.
