In brief
Tom Cruise’s latest film, ‘Digger’, is expected to lose approximately $245 million after a disappointing opening and a sharp decline in the second weekend. The film, directed by Alejandro G Iñárritu, has grossed only $35 million worldwide against a $280 million budget and marketing spend. Hollywood analysts predict a final worldwide take of just $50 million, far below the $350 million break‑even threshold. This marks a stark contrast to Cruise’s recent successful IP‐driven franchises and could make ‘Digger’ one of the most costly failures in Hollywood history.
Hollywood analysts say Tom Cruise’s satirical black comedy is likely to lose about $245 million (£185 million) at the box office, after a poor domestic performance and a steep 60% drop in ticket sales on its second weekend.
The movie, which follows oil magnate Digger Rockwell played by Cruise, has earned a total of roughly $35 million ($26 million sterling) worldwide. The film’s combined production and marketing costs were estimated at $280 million ($211 million sterling) for Warner Bros.
Cruise himself has commented that he does not focus on opening‑weekend figures when making films, preferring instead to aim for stories that endure. Yet the financial shortfall may turn ‘Digger’ into one of the biggest flops in Hollywood history.
The box‑office disaster stands in stark contrast to Cruise’s recent record‑setting IP‑driven ventures such as new installments of the Top Gun and Mission: Impossible franchises, which have performed strongly.
The film was directed by Alejandro G Iñárritu, acclaimed for classics like Birdman, Babel, and The Revenant. Variety magazine projected a final gross of about $50 million ($38 million sterling) worldwide. To break even, the film would need to earn roughly $350 million ($264 million sterling) when factoring in distribution cuts and potential award‑season promotion; a Warner Bros spokesman measured the threshold at $300 million ($227 million sterling).
‘Digger’ was Warner Bros’ last self‑released feature before the studio’s recent merger with Paramount in a $110 billion Hollywood deal.
