“Well done for trying something,” Tom Cruise told director Alejandro G. Iñárritu during a rehearsal, praising an approach that ultimately yielded a steep commercial stumble. Digger, a dark comedy starring Cruise and directed by Iñárritu, is tracking toward a domestic opening of $12-15 million US this weekend according to the Hollywood Reporter, putting its massive production budget in jeopardy and threatening to become one of Warner Bros.’s biggest box-office flops of the decade. His name alone isn’t going to sell it.” Still, Bock cautioned that “the movie has to connect and satisfy broad tastes.
Budget Inflation and Break-Even Pressures for Warner Bros.
Originally budgeted at $125 million US, production costs for Digger ultimately ballooned to between $160-180 million US, Variety reported. A Warner Bros. spokesperson disputed those figures, placing the actual break-even threshold closer to $300 million US. The R-rated black comedy earned just $1.2 million US in previews, leaving domestic tracking far below expectations following a string of studio underperformers that includes The Bride!, Supergirl, The End of Oak Street, and Practical Magic 2. Discovery.
Wildfires disrupt production of polarizing satire
Digger is a satire featuring Riz Ahmed as a scientist alongside John Goodman as a U.S. president. Critical reception proved sharply divided. Behind the scenes, production faced its own surreal parallels; filming in January 2025 was briefly disrupted when a raging forest fire threatened Los Angeles, mirroring the ecological themes unfolding on set. In the lead-up to the release, AI executives and tech moguls warned about technology’s destructive power, leading Iñárritu to comment, “We are living in a satire. It was crazy. Initially, the film was not named after Cruise’s character, Digger Rockwell, but was intended to be entitled Blah, Blah, Blah.”
Poor box office threatens future auteur projects
The dismal box-office performance arrives alongside a massive corporate transition. The film’s release coincided with the impending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance. Cruise negotiated a first-dollar gross deal, meaning the star collects a percentage of revenues before the studio recovers its costs. While studio executives expressed support for taking bold artistic risks with an auteur like Iñárritu—whose past collaborations include the Oscar-winning The Revenant—analysts suggest the commercial rejection of Digger could severely restrict future high-budget auteur-driven projects under the new conglomerate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the exact plot twist revealed in Digger?
The narrative is revealed to be a tech rehearsal for a future stage play titled Fossil Fools, set 25-plus years after the events depicted. Tom Cruise plays an actor named Curtis Markson who portrays the oil tycoon Digger Rockwell. Ganesh, a scientist played by Riz Ahmed, states that there is nothing to be done, while the U.S. President, played by John Goodman, yells about his cancer of the asshole. Tom Cruise’s character Curtis Markson is upset about the role because he feels the characterization in the play isn’t realistic, and that the farcical, exaggerated tone is deceptive with satire that is unfunny and trite.
How did Tom Cruise physically transform for the role?
Cruise abandoned vanity to play a potbellied mogul with thinning hair and a thick Texas drawl. The physical makeup application initially took six hours before the actor successfully challenged the crew to reduce the process to one hour.
What were the final domestic box-office projections for opening weekend?
The Hollywood Reporter projected that Digger would earn between $12-15 million US domestically over its opening weekend following a $1.2 million US preview haul.
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