Warner Bros. paid critics the ultimate compliment by turning negative reviews for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s eco-satire Digger into promotional material as the film collapsed at the box office with an $8 million North American debut. irishtimes.com reported that the studio incorporated hostile notices from social media and critics into a new advertisement to lean into audience polarization. Variety reported that the feature grossed $8 million from 3,321 North American theaters, delivering one of the worst debuts of Tom Cruise’s career against a production budget estimated between $160 to $180 million. Studio executives had hoped the pairing of Iñárritu, who previously won awards for The Revenant and Birdman, and Cruise would drive initial grosses to between $18 million and $20 million, according to Variety.
Warner Bros. Turns Hostile Reviews Into Advertisements
Facing mixed early word on Digger, the studio assembled a promotional video highlighting critical pushback. irishtimes.com noted that the spot juxtaposed negative one-word reactions like “Unpleasant” and “Baffling” against terms like “Masterpiece” and “Brilliant.” The video features Tom Cruise as oil tycoon Digger Rockwell shouting, “F**k those people!” alongside footage of political uproar in the film. The marketing strategy mirrors historical campaigns for polarizing auteur projects such as David Lynch’s Lost Highway and Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!, both of which utilized negative notices from prominent reviewers in their theatrical marketing. Lost Highway was criticized by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, who gave it “two thumbs down”; while Ebert remained skeptical of Lynch until Mulholland Drive and The Straight Story, Siskel had praised Wild at Heart and Blue Velvet, according to irishtimes.com.
Tom Cruise Eco-Satire Stumbles at the Global Box Office
The theatrical rollout yielded severe financial losses during its opening weekend. The Guardian reported that Digger grossed $20 million globally, including $8 million domestically and $12m across 74 international markets. The film cost at least $125 million to produce, with some trade reports pegging the budget closer to $150 million or between $160 to $180 million alongside an estimated $100 million marketing spend. Film consultant David A. Gross told Variety that the picture stands as a major box-office bomb, noting that black comedies of this scale face an uphill battle when word of mouth turns negative. The 64-year-old Cruise previously saw a major disappointment with 2017’s The Mummy, which earned $409.2 million on a $195 million budget, per The Guardian.
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu Defends the Provocative Vision
Filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu structured the narrative around the reckless drilling choices of an oil baron confronting ecological reckoning. The plot begins with Digger Rockwell learning his drilling in Greenland may cause a reckoning of Biblical proportions, according to RTE.ie. RTE.ie reported that Iñárritu described Cruise’s character as “an adorable catastrophe” who makes terrible decisions with candor and fun. The director explained to RTÉ 2FM that the project serves as a love letter to a generation confronting systemic failure, stating that the film aims to challenge audiences rather than offer comfortable consensus.
Paramount Skydance Finalizes Warner Bros Discovery Acquisition
The commercial misfire arrives amid corporate restructuring at the studio. The Guardian reported that Paramount Skydance finalized its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery following approval of a deal by a US district court. Variety reported that studio co-chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy are stepping down following the merger. De Luca and Abdy previously saw hits in 2025 with Weapons, A Minecraft Movie and Sinners, but no 2026 release has yet reached $100 million domestically, per Variety. Industry analysts cited by Variety noted that the incoming management under David Ellison, Josh Greenstein, and Dana Goldberg will soon determine whether the studio continues backing high-budget, auteur-driven projects like Digger.
Frequently Asked Questions About Digger and Its Box Office Run
How much did Digger cost to produce and market?
Production budgets for the Tom Cruise vehicle are estimated between $160 to $180 million, while marketing expenditures are pegged at approximately $100 million, according to reporting from The Guardian and Variety.
What film topped the North American box office during Digger’s opening weekend?
Amazon MGM’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Verity claimed first place in North America with a $32.6 million debut from 3,510 theaters, outperforming Digger and other holdovers, as reported by The Guardian. The psychological thriller stars Dakota Johnson as a ghostwriter for an author played by Anne Hathaway, according to The Guardian.
How did audiences rate the Tom Cruise film on release?
Paying audiences surveyed by CinemaScore assigned the R-rated satire a “C+” grade, reflecting the widespread division among viewers noted across trade publications.
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