Despite a renowned actor’s foray back into serious acting, a two-time Academy Award-winning director at the helm, and a marketing blitz comparable to historical events like the moon landing, the movie “Digger” seems destined to become one of the year’s biggest box office failures.
Reports from Variety indicate that the dark comedy, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and featuring Tom Cruise, experienced a significant budget overrun, escalating from an initial $125 million to a range of $160-180 million. This hike in costs necessitates a box office revenue of approximately $350 million, factoring in marketing expenses, to break even. Warner Bros. disputed this figure, asserting their break-even point is closer to $300 million.
Despite high expectations, the movie only generated $1.2 million in preview showings. The Hollywood Reporter forecasts a disappointing domestic opening weekend revenue of $12-15 million. Warner Bros. faces a challenging year marked by underperforming releases like “The Bride!,” “Supergirl,” “The End of Oak Street,” and “Practical Magic 2,” potentially culminating in “Digger” becoming one of their biggest flops in years.
“Digger” tells a peculiar tale of an oil magnate tasked with rectifying a global crisis triggered by his drilling activities, presenting a risky premise from the outset. Opting out of the traditional film festival circuit, the R-rated dark comedy pinned its hopes on positive word-of-mouth and the star power of Cruise to attract audiences to theaters.
While the strategy of sidestepping early critical reviews and targeting Cruise’s fan base seemed logical, the film faced challenges as initial reviews emerged, hinting at a wave of negative feedback. Criticisms labeling it as “the worst movie in Tom Cruise’s career” by the Boston Globe, a “metafictional morass” by RogerEbert.com, and “a lumbering white elephant” by the New York Times added to the unfavorable reception. In response, producers released an advertisement featuring Cruise’s character berating critics.
Even admirers of the film, like this writer, admitted that “Digger” might be too avant-garde and unconventional to recoup its substantial budget. This leaves Warner Bros. in a precarious situation after a successful 2025, with 2026 yielding only modest hits such as “Wuthering Heights,” “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,” and “Evil Dead Burn,” none of which surpassed $100 million domestically.
Should “Digger” fail spectacularly, it would join the ranks of 2026’s notable flops like “Melania,” which earned $16 million against a $40 million budget, and “Desert Warrior,” led by Anthony Mackie, which barely made $1 million from a reported $150 million budget, marking the year’s most significant failure.
Despite its anticipated underperformance, “Digger” may still hold value for Warner Bros., with speculations circulating on Cruise’s potential Academy Awards success and the film’s appeal on streaming platforms. However, the movie’s failure coincides with Warner Bros.’ imminent acquisition by Paramount and the reported departure of key film executives, signaling potential ramifications for the conglomerate’s future artistic endeavors.