New Delhi: Tom Cruise’s Digger is projected to lose up to $250 million. Despite bringing together one of the biggest action superstars, Cruise, and Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film is set to be one of Hollywood’s most expensive box-office disappointments.
Digger was made on a reported budget of at least $125 million, while marketing costs are estimated at around $100 million.
It stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, 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’s $8 million domestic opening is Cruise’s weakest since 2007’s Lions for Lambs, 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.
In India, too, Digger struggled. The film collected around Rs 2.84 crore net during its 10-day theatrical run.
Digger comes after Cruise’s recent run of major theatrical successes, including Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025), which was the last instalment in the franchise. His previous major box-office disappointment was 2017’s The Mummy, which grossed over $400 million worldwide but was still considered a financial disappointment against its reported $195 million budget.
However, the film was originally positioned as a potential awards-season contender by production house Warner Bros. The makers hoped the collaboration between Cruise and Alejandro Iñárritu, whose credits include Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015), would be enough to draw in audiences. However, the film struggled with critics and audiences, earning a C+ CinemaScore. Following poor reviews, Warner Bros. also shifted its marketing strategy, using “decide for yourself” advertisements.