Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, is expected to incur a loss of around $245 million after underperforming at cinemas worldwide, according to Hollywood analysts. The satirical black comedy, which stars Cruise as oil magnate Digger Rockwell, saw ticket sales plunge by approximately 60% during its second weekend.
So far, Digger has grossed about $35 million globally, a figure dwarfed by its estimated combined production and marketing budget of $280 million by Warner Bros. The film is predicted to finish its theatrical run with roughly $50 million in worldwide box office revenue.
Financial Outlook and Studio Statements
The total costs—including production, marketing, theater revenue shares, and awards campaign expenditures—are estimated to push the film’s break-even point to around $350 million. However, Warner Bros. has indicated that the actual break-even threshold is closer to $300 million.
Cruise recently commented that when creating films, his focus is not on opening weekend success but rather on making movies that endure and evolve over time.
Comparison to Cruise’s Previous Hits
The poor box office performance of Digger contrasts sharply with Cruise’s recent successes in franchise-driven films like the latest installments of Top Gun and Mission: Impossible. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, known for films such as Birdman and The Revenant, Digger represents one of Warner Bros.’ final standalone releases before its acquisition by Paramount.
Related Box Office Struggles
Meanwhile, the sequel to the Oscar-winning The Social Network, titled The Social Reckoning, also faced a disappointing opening weekend. It earned $5.5 million in the U.S., significantly underperforming compared to the $22 million opening of the original film in 2010. Globally, the new film has grossed around $9 million. This Aaron Sorkin-directed true story follows Facebook engineer Frances Haugen, who leaked internal documents out of concern for the company’s practices.
