The $125 million Alejandro González Iñárritu satire is tracking for a disappointing $8 million domestic bow, but the superstar isn’t letting the weak opening dampen his commitment to the prestige swing.
Despite a rocky start at the box office for Digger, Tom Cruise is standing firmly behind his high-profile collaboration with Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu, expressing deep pride in the film and its creative team—even as early estimates project the movie is heading toward a modest $8 million North American opening weekend.
Taking to social media on Saturday morning, Cruise posted behind-the-scenes photos from the set while thanking the cast and crew. “I am so deeply honored to have had the opportunity to make this movie alongside such extraordinarily talented artists,” Cruise wrote. “It was truly an unforgettable experience, and I am so proud of what we accomplished.”
Warner Bros. rolled out the $125 million satirical drama on Friday across roughly 3,300 North American screens. The film centers on an arrogant oil tycoon who inadvertently triggers a massive environmental disaster.
A Mixed Reception
Critical and audience enthusiasm has failed to match the pre-release buzz surrounding the auteur-star pairing. Digger earned a dismal C+ CinemaScore from opening-night audiences, while its score on Rotten Tomatoes sits at a lukewarm 51 percent approval rating among critics.
If weekend estimates hold, the launch could mark Cruise’s lowest domestic opening for a starring vehicle since 2007’s political drama Lions for Lambs ($6.7 million), though that film carried a significantly lower production budget.
Box Office Battle
Digger faces stiff competition at the domestic box office from the thriller Verity, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel and starring Anne Hathaway. That film is currently tracking to lead the weekend chart with an estimated $33 million debut.
The sluggish launch comes as a blow to Warner Bros., which had positioned Digger as an ambitious, creative pivot for Cruise and Iñárritu, with early hopes of gaining traction in the upcoming awards race.
A Radical Transformation
In Digger, Cruise undergoes a dramatic physical transformation—appearing balding and carrying extra weight—stepping far outside the high-octane action-hero persona he has perfected over the last decade in franchises like Mission: Impossible.
The project represents a return to character-centric drama for the star, supported by a powerhouse ensemble cast that includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, and Sandra Hüller.
Still, Cruise won’t be staying away from high-stakes action for long: he is gearing up to begin production on a sequel to Days of Thunder, revisiting one of the signature roles from his early career.
Faith in the Craft
Speaking at a Los Angeles screening earlier in the week, Cruise reflected on his relentless passion for cinema, emphasizing that commercial success is what allows him to keep making movies.
“My hope is always that movies do well enough to give me the opportunity to do it again,” Cruise told the audience, adding that moviegoers want “to see real things” on screen and that filmmaking requires intense dedication.
As Digger faces its first true trial with moviegoers, Cruise’s message remains clear: the film may misfire at the box office, but the superstar views the artistic risk as anything but a loss.
