Tom Cruise's 'Digger' Bombs at Box Office, Earns Just $8 Million

Tom Cruise's latest film, the black comedy "Digger," has opened to a disappointing $8 million at the North American box office this past weekend, landing in fifth place ^[1]. This performance is significantly lower than its projected $18 million to $20 million opening, especially considering the movie's production budget was between $160 million and $180 million.

The film, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon whose drilling operations trigger an environmental catastrophe [1, 2]. While the movie secured $8 million in North America, its worldwide total reached $20 million, with $12 million from international markets ^[2].

Box office experts suggested that a film of this scale needed to debut closer to $40 million to justify its high production cost ^[1]. The poor showing marks one of the worst box office debuts in Cruise's career ^[2]. His last major box office disappointment was 2017's "The Mummy," which grossed $409.2 million worldwide against a $195 million budget.

"Digger" faced mixed reviews from critics. The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey gave the film two stars, stating it "largely falls flat" despite promising a "revelation" from Cruise ^[1]. Conversely, The Independent's Jacob Stolworthy praised it as a "big swing" that grabbed his attention.

Variety's Owen Gleiberman described the film as "nervy, in your face, adventurous, and bizarro," while Vulture's Bilge Ebiri called it "a torturous experience" ^[1]. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a 51 percent score with an average rating of 6.1 out of 10, dropping to 33 percent among Top Critics.

The top spot at the box office this weekend went to "Verity," an adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, which debuted with an estimated $33 million [1, 2]. "Digger's" release coincides with the impending finalization of the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery this week ^[2]. Warner Bros has reportedly struggled with its 2026 releases, with "Supergirl" and "The Bride" both resulting in significant losses for the studio ^[1].