Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Set to Become One of Hollywood’s Biggest Box Office Bombs

Tom Cruise has long been a reliable name at the box office, making the term “box office bomb” rarely associated with him. This makes the situation surrounding ‘Digger’ particularly noteworthy. With an Oscar-winning director and a major awards push, expectations were high for this film.

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, ‘Digger’ is a dark satire featuring Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a wealthy oil tycoon whose reckless drilling leads to a massive ice shelf detachment. As he scrambles to save humanity, critics have offered mixed reviews, with the film currently holding a 51% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a C+ CinemaScore from audiences.

The financial outlook for ‘Digger’ is even more concerning than anticipated. According to an exclusive report from TheWrap, the film is projected to lose an astonishing $250 million by the end of its theatrical run, even after considering post-theatrical revenue. This would mark the largest financial loss of Cruise’s career and one of the biggest in recent film history.

Initial estimates had suggested a loss of around $125 million, but those figures have ballooned following a disappointing opening weekend, where ‘Digger’ earned just $8 million domestically and $21 million globally. Insiders at Skydance reportedly do not expect the film to surpass $40 million worldwide.

The budget is a significant factor in the projected losses. Insiders estimate the production costs to be around $173 million, partly due to an unexpected insurance settlement, while others suggest it could be as low as $163 million. Additionally, marketing expenses, largely attributed to Cruise’s global press tour, added roughly $100 million to the overall costs.

Initially, ‘Digger’ was viewed as a major win for the studio, having been greenlit by David Zaslav and marking the first film under Cruise’s new deal with Warner Bros. This optimistic outlook makes the current situation all the more painful.

The film’s opening weekend set a disappointing tone, landing in fifth place with $8 million in North America, marking Cruise’s weakest debut since ‘Lions for Lambs’ in 2007. Industry experts noted that a film of this scale needed to open closer to $40 million to justify its hefty budget, while ‘Verity’ led the weekend with $32.6 million.

If the projections hold true, ‘Digger’ could join an infamous list of box office failures. Dark Horizons has compared its potential losses to those of ‘The Marvels’, ‘John Carter’, ‘Strange World’, ‘The Lone Ranger’, and ‘Mortal Engines’. Variety has also suggested that the film could rank among the biggest bombs of the year, and possibly of all time.

The timing of this release adds to the woes for Warner Bros. Variety highlighted that none of the studio’s 2026 releases have crossed $100 million domestically, with both ‘Supergirl’ and ‘The Bride’ also underperforming. ‘Digger’ is also the studio’s final release before Warner Bros. Discovery merges with Paramount Skydance.

A man. A plan. A meltdown. DIGGER. Only in theaters October 2. https://t.co/tHOTqXsWIM

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) September 9, 2026

Despite the grim financial outlook, ‘Digger’ has received some positive feedback. It currently holds a 3.8 rating on Letterboxd, surpassing the 3.5 average for the 1986 ‘Top Gun’, with some critics praising it as brave and visually stunning. Anne Hathaway has also publicly supported the film on Letterboxd, providing a rare high-profile endorsement as the numbers decline.

Cruise has expressed pride in the film, stating he feels honored to have collaborated with such talented artists. Many had speculated that ‘Digger’ was an awards contender for Cruise, who has an honorary Oscar but lacks a competitive acting win. Now, that ambition is overshadowed by one of the starkest financial narratives of the year.

Looking ahead, Cruise’s next major project is already in the works. ‘Days of Thunder 2’ is set to begin production next year for Paramount, with Hathaway co-starring. This could serve as an opportunity for Cruise to reclaim his box office standing.

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