“Digger” will make box office history for all the wrong reasons.
The R-rated environmental satire from Tom Cruise and director Alejandro González Iñárritu is on track to lose $245 million upon its theatrical release, according to informed sources. This will end up as one of the biggest failures, not only of the year but potentially of all time.
Following the release of “Digger” last weekend to $8 million domestically and $20 million worldwide, Warner Bros. was on pace to lose between $150 million and $200 million in theaters. The studio is now bracing for a bigger writedown after ticket sales for the film fell 60% in its second weekend, bringing their total to $14.4 million domestically and $35.3 million worldwide. This is despite the efforts of Hollywood stars, including Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda, Guillermo del Toro and Mandy Patinkin, who spoke out in defense of “Digger” and encouraged audiences to go to the movies.
“Digger” is expected to finish its box office with around $50 million worldwide. For reference, the film needs $350 million worldwide to break even, as theater owners keep about half of the ticket sales. A spokesperson for Warner Bros. backed out, saying the film’s break-even point was $300 million.
“Digger,” an offbeat black comedy starring Cruise as a wealthy oil tycoon whose business causes potential disaster, was always a risky proposition as a star-studded, big-budget original tentpole rare in today’s unforgiving box office landscape. Warner Bros. Greenlighted the film for $125 million, but the budget ballooned to between $160 and $180 million after running over the production schedule. The studio spent an additional $100 million on global marketing efforts. Sources say these figures do not include the studio’s spending on awards. A film like “Digger,” which features a major star and an acclaimed director, would have cost about $15 million for an Oscar campaign, but those efforts could be reduced given the film’s frosty reception. (Reviews of “Digger” were so bad that Warner Bros. ran social media spots that encouraged moviegoers to “decide for themselves.”)
Most films don’t make money solely from their theatrical release, although box office revenue is important because it dictates downstream deals for television, Pay 1 and streaming. Getting the studio to profitability will take even longer because Cruise has a deal that allows him to earn a percentage of the revenue before the studio recoups the costs.
“Digger,” the studio’s final standalone release before its merger with Paramount, continues a dismal year for Warner Bros. Theatrical losses piled up because of commercial disasters such as “The Bride” and “Supergirl.” Warner co-chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, who left the company last Friday as “Digger” hit the big screen, enjoyed a historic box office run in 2025 with hits including “Sinners,” “A Minecraft Movie” and “Weapons.” But after the duo made several big moves this calendar year, no film has managed to top $100 million domestically. Warner Bros.’ theater fortunes are expected to rebound in December when Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part III,” starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, hits the big screen.
Gn entert
