New Delhi: Tom Cruise’s Digger has recorded the actor’s lowest opening weekend in nearly two decades and is reportedly heading toward a loss of about $150 million. The Alejandro González Iñárritu-directed film opened to just $8 million in North America and $12 million internationally, taking its worldwide opening weekend collection to $20 million.
The film is about Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), an oil mafia boss whose company has triggered an ecological disaster with the potential to start a nuclear war. Riz Ahmed plays Dr Ganesh, a scientist and key adviser to Rockwell.
Digger is made on a reported budget of about $125 million, with the marketing costs estimated to be around $100 million. According to reports, the film could eventually lose between $150 million and $200 million.
Digger’s $8 million domestic opening is Cruise’s weakest since Lions for Lambs in 2007, which opened to $6.7 million in North America. Unlike Digger, however, Lions for Lambs was made on a significantly smaller budget of around $35 million.
The film also failed to top the North American box office, finishing fifth behind Verity, Resident Evil, Heart of the Beast, and Primetime. Verity, starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, opened to $32.6 million.
Digger has struggled in India too. The film collected around Rs 1.55 crore net during its opening weekend, with its three day gross standing at approximately Rs 1.80 crore. It opened to Rs 78 lakh on Friday, and earned Rs 45 lakh each on Saturday and Sunday.
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‘Love it or hate it’
Digger comes after Cruise’s recent run of major theatrical successes, including Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025). His previous major box-office disappointment was the 2017 film The Mummy, which collected over $400 million worldwide but was considered a financial disappointment given its $195 million budget.
Warner Bros. positioned Digger as a potential award-season contender, bringing together Tom Cruise and Alejandro Iñárritu, whose credits include Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015). Digger has also failed to impress critics and audiences, earning a C+ CinemaScore. This also reflected in Warner Bros.’ marketing, when it posted a promo of the movie on YouTube and captioned it: “Love it or hate it… decide for yourself.”
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)