‘Digger’ Reportedly Faces Up to $150 Million in Box Office Losses

Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, is facing a potential loss of up to $150 million after opening far below expectations at the box office.

The Alejandro González Iñárritu directed film earned about $8 million in the US and Canada during its opening weekend and another $12 million internationally, bringing its worldwide opening to roughly $20 million.

Photo: Waner Bros/Everett Collection

The opening is significant given the money invested in the production. Warner Bros. publicly placed the production cost at about $125 million, while industry estimates have put the budget closer to $160 million to $180 million. Marketing is estimated to have cost an additional $100 million.

That puts significant pressure on Digger to generate hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide to approach profitability. Industry estimates have placed the film’s break-even point between $300 million and $350 million, leaving a potential theatrical loss of approximately $150 million to $200 million if its box-office performance does not improve substantially.

Photo: Waner Bros/Everett Collection

The opening is notable given the film’s director and lead actor. Cruise is a major international box-office star, while Iñárritu previously directed Birdman and The Revenant.

The film has also received a 51% Rotten Tomatoes score and a C+ CinemaScore. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an eccentric oil executive whose drilling operations contribute to an unfolding environmental crisis.

Wearing prosthetics and gray hair, Cruise plays a character that differs from the action roles he has taken on in recent blockbusters. The performance also places him in a satirical drama directed by an Oscar-winning filmmaker, instead of the action-driven productions that have defined much of his recent theatrical run.

Photo: Waner Bros/Everett Collection

For Warner Bros., the film’s opening numbers leave a substantial gap between its current box-office performance and the estimated revenue required to break even.

If its theatrical run does not improve substantially, Digger could finish among the year’s biggest box-office disappointments.