Despite the return of a prominent actor to serious acting, an Oscar-winning director, and significant media attention, the film “Digger” seems destined to be one of the year’s biggest box office failures.
As reported by Variety, the dark comedy directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise experienced a budget increase from $125 million to $160-180 million, with a break-even point estimated around $350 million including marketing expenses. Warner Bros. contested this figure, stating their break-even point is closer to $300 million.
The film’s preview earnings were only $1.2 million, and Warner projects a domestic weekend box office of $12-15 million based on reports from the Hollywood Reporter. This disappointing performance follows a streak of underperforming releases by Warner Bros. this year.
“Digger,” a peculiar narrative about an oil magnate confronting a crisis he caused, took a risky approach by bypassing the festival circuit. The R-rated comedy aimed to leverage word-of-mouth and star power to attract audiences to theaters.
Directed by Iñárritu, known for his award-winning films “Birdman” and “The Revenant,” early critical reviews raised concerns about the film’s reception. Despite some positive feedback, negative critiques labeled it as Tom Cruise’s worst movie.
Warner Bros. faces challenges with “Digger” potentially joining the ranks of notable flops in 2026, alongside films like “Melania” and “Desert Warrior.” The movie’s failure may impact the conglomerate’s future creative decisions.
While the film’s performance may disappoint at the box office, there is speculation about Cruise’s Oscar chances and the film’s potential success in streaming platforms. However, the failure coincides with Warner Bros.’ impending acquisition by Paramount and changes in the company’s leadership post-merger.