‘Digger’ Opens to Just $8M as Tom Cruise Suffers Rare Box Office Setback
Tom Cruise has built one of the most reliable box office careers in Hollywood history, with even his poorly reviewed films typically delivering decent opening weekends. That track record made ‘Digger’, his bold satirical black comedy with director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, one of the most closely watched releases of the fall.
The film marked a sharp departure for the 64-year-old star, who plays a balding, heavier oil tycoon instead of the action heroes that have dominated his recent work. Warner Bros. had initially hoped for an opening of $18 million to $20 million, before lowering expectations to $12 million to $15 million heading into the weekend.
The final tally fell well short of either target. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ‘Digger’ opened to just $8 million from 3,300 North American theaters, a tough number for a film the studio says cost $125 million, though reports suggest the budget climbed closer to $180 million, a figure Warner Bros. disputes.
The result gives Cruise his lowest domestic opening in 19 years. The last time one of his films started lower was 2007’s ‘Lions for Lambs’, which opened to $6.7 million. It could get even worse. According to Variety, rival studios believe the final figure may come in closer to $7.5 million once official numbers arrive on Monday.
The film landed in fifth place for the weekend. It had collected $3.3 million from Thursday previews and Friday showings, an early sign that audiences weren’t turning out. The financial picture looks grim. Variety reports that Warner Bros. also spent around $100 million on the film’s global marketing campaign, and box office experts believed a film with its price tag needed an opening closer to $40 million.
‘Digger’ could reportedly lose between $150 million and $200 million theatrically. Sources familiar with similar films estimated it would need around $350 million worldwide to break even, though a Warner Bros. spokesperson pushed back and placed that figure closer to $300 million.
A man. A plan. A meltdown. DIGGER. Only in theaters October 2. https://t.co/tHOTqXsWIM
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) September 9, 2026
Consequence suggested the film may end up as the biggest box office flop of 2026. Even so, an opening weekend alone doesn’t determine a film’s final losses. While ‘Digger’ struggled, Amazon MGM had plenty to celebrate. ‘Verity’, starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, led the domestic chart with $32.6 million from 3,510 locations.
The contrast in budgets is striking. ‘Verity’ was made for $40 million and has already earned $62.5 million worldwide in its opening, giving it the second-biggest debut among the recent Colleen Hoover adaptations.
Women made up 78% of the thriller’s opening weekend audience. It’s a strong start that puts the film in excellent shape heading into the coming weeks. The odds are stacked against Iñárritu’s film. Critics have been divided, and Warner Bros. even leaned into the split reviews with ads encouraging audiences to decide for themselves.
Its fate now depends on word of mouth and international audiences. For Cruise, it’s a rare stumble in a career defined by box office dominance, and a reminder that even Hollywood’s biggest star can’t guarantee a hit when he takes a major creative risk.
What do you think caused ‘Digger’ to struggle at the box office?
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