Tom Cruise faces a steep box office disappointment in North America as his latest feature, the comedy Digger, brings in an estimated eight million US dollars over its opening weekend. The grim box office figures place the expensive Warner Bros. production far below studio projections.
The stark financial contrast on the weekend charts highlights diverging fortunes for major Hollywood releases.
Production Budgets and Box Office Realities for Digger
Industry trackers at Box Office Mojo estimate that Digger grossed eight million US dollars across the United States and Canada following its Friday opening. Variety reported that the feature could become one of the largest box office flops of the year or even of all time. Warner Bros. financed the film on a production budget ranging from 160 to 180 million US dollars. Studio executives anticipated an opening weekend between 18 and 20 million US dollars, though industry experts note that even those figures would fall short. Analysts calculate that the project needed approximately 40 million US dollars in ticket sales during its first three days simply to justify its massive financial outlay.
The massive budget creates severe economic pressure regarding advertising expenditures, international marketing distribution costs, and cinema revenue shares. The film features Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a powerful oil baron forced to prevent a catastrophic global event of his own making. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu—who earned Academy Awards for directing Birdman and The Revenant—the narrative combines dark comedy with disaster themes. Sandra Hüller co-stars as the impulsive half-sister of Cruise’s character.
Anne Hathaway Leads the Box Office and Joins Forces With Tom Cruise
Anne Hathaway secured a substantially stronger opening weekend with her latest project, outperforming Cruise’s release on the charts. Box Office Mojo reported that the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s psychological thriller Verity—starring Hathaway alongside Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett—debuted with 32.6 million US dollars in North America. Hoover’s novel established a massive readership online and maintained a position on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 100 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Theatrical Releases
What were the exact production costs for Digger?
Warner Bros. produced the film with a budget estimated between 160 and 180 million US dollars, according to Variety.
Who directed Digger and what is the premise?
Academy Award winner Alejandro González Iñárritu directed the film, which features Tom Cruise as an oil baron attempting to stop a self-induced global crisis alongside co-star Sandra Hüller.
Related reading