John Goodman finally speaks out on the failure of “Digger” with critics and at the box office. During an appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, the actor said all the negative buzz leading up to the film’s release effectively killed its chances of making money at the box office. “Digger” cost more than $160 million to make and only grossed $15 million in its domestic box office debut. The film has yet to exceed $50 million worldwide after a month of theatrical release.
“People are talking. It hurts. It kind of killed us before we even opened. (Headlines like), ‘It’ll only make $5.’ It was a good reason for people to avoid it,” Goodman said of the response. “I’m proud of it. I had a lot of fun doing it. It was a good six months of my life. That’s a huge swing. This will last a long time.”
When asked if he still cared what critics and audiences thought of his work after so many years as a professional actor, Goodman replied: “Unfortunately, I have to say I do. I have to be very honest. I used to be less honest. Maybe I’m getting older and I’m pathetic and I’m like, ‘Don’t hit me anymore!’ I put so much into this movie and here it is. I’m over it now. I’m proud of having done it.
However, Goodman noted that “everything I did for the Coen brothers initially failed…so who cares, man? I still have people coming up to me on the street asking me about ‘Barton Fink’ and ‘Big Lebowski.’
Goodman starred alongside Tom Cruise in “Digger,” directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Cruise plays an oil tycoon facing the end of the world after one of his platforms in Antarctica malfunctions and sends ice sheets hurtling towards Europe. Goodman plays the American president. The film was sharply divided by critics (53% on Rotten Tomatoes) and required approximately $350 million just to break even in theaters. It will now be considered one of the costliest studio failures in Hollywood history, costing Warner Bros. approximately $250 million in theaters.
Amid the film’s disastrous box office success, various Hollywood celebrities rallied behind Cruise and the film. Neil Young posted on his website that “Digger” is “the best movie I’ve ever seen.” Mandy Patinkin agreed, hailing Cruise’s latest film as an “instant classic” and “one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda, Ben Affleck and many others have also sung the film’s praises, with Affleck condemning the public denigration of the film.
“Everyone wants to celebrate this bomb like it’s the most exciting thing that could happen. And you think it’s a pretty ambitious and interesting movie made by interesting people who have talent,” Affleck said in his own “Happy Sad Confused” interview last month. “Everyone wants to count money, what they lost or whatever. To me, I just think if you punish films that take risks, guess what you’re going to get? A bunch of shitty homogenized films. You can’t make something interesting without taking a big hit. And that means you’re going to look bad sometimes.”
Watch Goodman’s full interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast below.
Gn entert
