Warner Bros.’ film ‘Digger,’ starring Tom Cruise and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, is on track to become one of the biggest box office failures in cinema history. The R-rated environmental satire opened domestically to $8 million and $20 million globally in its first weekend. A significant second-weekend decline of 60% brought the film’s domestic total to $14.4 million and its global total to $35.3 million, prompting the studio to substantially increase its projected theatrical losses to $245 million.
The film’s break-even point was disputed between the studio and industry sources, with Warner Bros. claiming $300 million globally would be required to break even, while knowledgeable sources indicated the figure stood at $350 million. The movie is expected to conclude its theatrical run with approximately $50 million in global revenue. The production faced significant budget escalation, originally greenlit at $125 million before costs ballooned to between $160 million and $180 million due to production delays. Additional spending included roughly $100 million for global marketing campaigns, with potential award-season spending potentially reaching $15 million, though those efforts may be reduced given the film’s poor critical reception.
‘Digger’ presented Tom Cruise as a wealthy oil executive whose company triggers a potential disaster. Despite support from notable figures including Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda, Guillermo del Toro and Mandy Patinkin, who publicly encouraged theatrical attendance, the film failed to gain traction with audiences. The underperformance contributes to a challenging theatrical year for Warner Bros., which has also suffered losses from other releases including ‘The Bride’ and ‘Supergirl.’ The studio’s co-chiefs departed the company as ‘Digger’ opened, having overseen a successful 2025 with films such as ‘Sinners,’ ‘A Minecraft Movie’ and ‘Weapons,’ but the studio has not yet achieved a $100 million domestic box office success during the current calendar year. Warner Bros. anticipates theatrical recovery in December with the release of Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part III.’
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