Tom Cruise is publicly standing behind Digger even as Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s ambitious political satire endures one of the weakest box-office launches of the actor’s career. The film opened to an estimated $8 million in the United States and Canada, with another $12 million from 74 international markets, giving it roughly $20 million worldwide for its opening weekend.
Cruise marked the movie’s theatrical release by sharing behind-the-scenes photographs and thanking the people who made it with him. His message ended with a clear expression of support for the finished film: “The experience was truly unforgettable and I’m so proud of what we created.”
There is an important distinction, however. Cruise did not specifically mention the bad reviews or disappointing box-office numbers in his post, so describing the message as a direct response to the film’s failure would go further than what he actually said. What the statement does show is that he remains enthusiastic about the project at a moment when its commercial prospects are looking increasingly difficult.
Digger gives Cruise his weakest opening in 19 years
The $8 million domestic launch is particularly striking because of Cruise’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s most dependable theatrical stars.
It is his lowest opening weekend since Lions for Lambs, which debuted to around $6.7 million in 2007. Digger also finished only fifth for the weekend, while Verity, starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, opened at No. 1 with approximately $32.6 million — more than four times Digger’s domestic total.
The financial gap becomes more serious when the movie’s cost is considered. Warner Bros. told The Wall Street Journal that Digger cost about $125 million to produce, while other industry estimates have placed the figure higher.
That means its roughly $20 million worldwide debut represents only about 16% of the confirmed $125 million production budget before accounting for marketing costs or the portion of ticket sales retained by theaters.
It is not a profitability calculation — box-office gross cannot simply be subtracted from a production budget — but it shows just how much ground the film now needs to make up.
The reviews are harsh, but not universally negative
Calling the response to Digger completely disastrous also misses part of the story.
The movie currently sits at roughly 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 71% audience score, putting it closer to a sharply divided reception than universal rejection. CinemaScore audiences gave it a C+, which is nevertheless a weak result for an expensive wide release.
Critics have repeatedly attacked the film’s tone and satire. Rotten Tomatoes’ review roundup includes complaints that the movie is overbearing, overly obvious and not as funny as it intends to be. But Cruise’s performance has received considerably warmer notices, with several critics praising the commitment he brings to an unusually eccentric role.
That split is worth noting because Digger represents a very different kind of Tom Cruise movie.
Instead of another Mission: Impossible installment or a conventional action spectacle, Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a powerful oil tycoon whose greed helps trigger an ecological catastrophe. The cast also includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller, with Iñárritu directing his first English-language feature since The Revenant.
Digger was always a major gamble for Cruise
For Cruise, the project represents something increasingly unusual in his modern career: an expensive original movie built around a filmmaker rather than an established franchise.
That is partly why its opening matters beyond one disappointing weekend. Cruise has spent years championing theatrical moviegoing, and Digger tested whether his star power could turn a strange, politically charged original satire into a mainstream event.
So far, audiences have not followed him in large enough numbers.
There is still time for Digger to develop stronger legs, particularly if curiosity around its polarizing reception grows. But an $8 million domestic and $20 million global start against a nine-figure production budget leaves it with an extraordinarily difficult theatrical path.
Cruise’s response, though, suggests he is judging the experience by something other than opening-weekend mathematics. Whatever eventually happens at the box office, he appears to have no interest in distancing himself from Iñárritu’s big swing.
And for an actor whose recent career has been defined by carefully engineered blockbusters, being this publicly proud of one of his riskiest commercial failures may be the most interesting part of the Digger story.
