Despite a high-profile actor’s return to serious acting, an acclaimed director with two Oscars under his belt, and extensive publicity, the film “Digger” seems destined to be one of the year’s major box-office failures.
As reported by Variety, the dark comedy helmed by director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise experienced a significant budget increase from the initial $125 million to a range of $160-180 million, with a break-even point estimated around $350 million when factoring in marketing expenses. Warner Bros. disputed this figure, stating their break-even point is closer to $300 million.
With only $1.2 million earned in previews, and projections from the Hollywood Reporter indicating a mere $12-15 million domestic opening weekend, “Digger” is on track to join Warner Bros.’s list of underperforming releases this year.
The film, which follows a peculiar narrative about an oil magnate tasked with rectifying a disaster caused by his drilling activities, opted out of the festival circuit. Instead, it relied on positive word of mouth and the star power of Tom Cruise to draw audiences to theaters.
Directed by Iñárritu, known for his Oscar-winning films “Birdman” and “The Revenant,” “Digger” faced early criticism prior to its release, with some reviewers labeling it as the worst movie in Tom Cruise’s career. Even those who praised the film acknowledged its experimental nature, making it unlikely to recoup its sizable budget.
Warner Bros., coming off a successful 2025 but facing a lackluster 2026 lineup, now grapples with the potential repercussions of “Digger’s” failure. The film’s poor performance could rank it among this year’s other notable flops, such as “Melania” and “Desert Warrior.”
While there is speculation about possible Academy Awards recognition for Tom Cruise’s performance and potential streaming success due to his strong fan base, “Digger’s” failure marks the studio’s final release before its acquisition by Paramount. The disappointing outcome also coincides with reports of key film executives departing Warner Bros. post-merger, raising questions about the conglomerate’s future artistic direction.