Variety reports North American takings of $8 million on the opening weekend and $3.2 million on the second, a drop of about 60%, with worldwide gross reported at about $35 million.
Estimates cited across several outlets put losses for Warner Bros at around $245 million, against a budget that rose from $125 million to $160 million to $180 million before about $100 million in marketing.
Variety estimates Digger needs about $350 million worldwide to break even, while a Warner Bros spokesperson told Variety the figure is $300 million.
Digger is Warner Bros' last standalone release before the sale to David Ellison was completed and the studio combined with Paramount into Skydance.
Digger, a satirical black comedy directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, in which Tom Cruise plays oil magnate Digger Rockwell, opened in late September 2026. Variety reports that its North American takings were $8 million on the opening weekend. Ticket sales fell about 60% in the second weekend to an estimated $3.2 million. By the time of the 12 October reports, the film had grossed $14.4 million in North America and about $35 million worldwide. Variety projects a final worldwide gross of around $50 million.
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Variety puts production costs at $160 million to $180 million, above the original $125 million budget, and adds about $100 million for promotion. The BBC reports that Warner Bros spent around $280 million on production and marketing. The breakeven figure is disputed. Variety estimates the film needs about $350 million worldwide, because cinemas keep roughly half of ticket revenue, while a Warner Bros spokesperson told Variety the figure is $300 million. The studio had planned another $15 million for an awards campaign, but that spending is expected to be cut after the box office failure. Estimated losses of $245 million appear across several reports, including estimates the Guardian reported and that Il Messaggero repeated, and analyst projections cited by the BBC.
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Reports place the film alongside Cutthroat Island (1995), Mortal Engines (2018) and The Marvels (2023) among Hollywood's biggest financial flops. Reviews split sharply. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave it two stars and described a shallow, tiring and self-congratulatory satire, while Sian Cain of Guardian Australia called it a masterpiece, according to Il Messaggero. Warner Bros responded with a campaign inviting audiences to 'decide for yourself'. Defenders named in the coverage include Anne Hathaway, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, a close friend of Iñárritu, and Jane Fonda. Cruise said last week that he does not make films with their opening-weekend takings in mind, and that he aims to make films that 'hopefully will translate, last and evolve'.
Digger is the last standalone release from Warner Bros before its sale to David Ellison was completed and the studio merges with Paramount into a single company called Skydance. According to 20 minutos, Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who ran Warner Bros. Pictures until the merger, have left the studio. The Social Reckoning, the Aaron Sorkin-directed sequel to The Social Network, took about $5.5 million in North America on its opening weekend. It finished behind The Other Mommy, starring Jessica Chastain, which topped the North American box office with an estimated $27.5 million. IndieWire notes that Digger was projected to open lower than any Tom Cruise star vehicle in more than 40 years.
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Tom Cruise's satire Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, opened in late September 2026 and fell about 60% in its second North American weekend. Reports cite estimated losses of around $245 million for Warner Bros, its final standalone release before the Paramount merger.
AI text based on reports by 20 minutos, The Telegraph, BBC and other publishers. Published .