Anne Hathaway and other stars publicly back Tom Cruise's Digger after weak opening and poor reviews
Anne Hathaway and several film figures have praised Alejandro Iñárritu's Digger, starring Tom Cruise, after critics panned it and it opened weakly. Outlets agree it is a box office disappointment but give different cost figures.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Anne Hathaway has publicly praised Digger, the new film starring Tom Cruise, after it did poorly in its opening weekend and drew largely negative reviews. The IndependentLC “Anne Hathaway has joined a growing chorus of stars praising Tom Cruise’s divisive new movie, Digger, after it bombed at the box office on its opening weekend.” Read at The Independent ↗ /FilmN “Digger might be a massive box office bomb for Tom Cruise, but at least he and the film have Anne Hathaway in their corner.” Read at /Film ↗ Mixed · 2Digger is a black comedy written and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, in which Cruise plays an oil tycoon whose business sets off an environmental disaster. The IndependentLC “The black comedy, written and directed by Alejandro Iñárritu, stars Cruise as a powerful oil tycoon whose drilling operation sets off a catastrophic environmental disaster.” Read at The Independent ↗ /FilmN “a satirical dark comedy that stars Tom Cruise as an aging oil magnate whose business sets off an ecological crisis” Read at /Film ↗ Mixed · 2The Independent reports that the film earned $8 million in its opening weekend against a $160 million budget. /Film says it reportedly cost upwards of $200 million and may lose as much as $250 million. The IndependentLC “earned just $8 million at the box office on its opening weekend against a $160 million budget” Read at The Independent ↗ /FilmN “may lose as much as $250 million at the box office. It's particularly bad for a big-budget production that reportedly cost upwards of $200 million to make.” Read at /Film ↗
Mixed · 2Hathaway posted on Letterboxd: "I loved this brilliant movie. It's smart and trippy and aggressive and funny and ambitious", adding that it was worth seeing to decide for yourself, and gave it "10/10". /Film says this was a 5-star review. The IndependentLC ““I loved this brilliant movie. It’s smart and trippy and aggressive and funny and ambitious,” Hathaway wrote on the film reviewing platform, Letterboxd.” Read at The Independent ↗ /FilmN “Hathaway wrote in her 5 star review on the platform.” Read at /Film ↗ Left · 1The Independent says others have also spoken up, in a social media push it likens to Andrea Riseborough's 2023 Oscars campaign. Its list includes Top Gun: Maverick co-star Glen Powell, Jane Fonda, director Ron Howard, and Guillermo del Toro. An actor from The Princess Bride, whose caption names Mandy Patinkin, called it an "instant classic" and urged people not to "listen to rotten tomatoes". The IndependentLC “in a social media push reminiscent of Andrea Riseborough’s controversial 2023 Oscars campaign, a number of stars have come out in support of Cruise’s movie.”“Don’t listen to rotten tomatoes. Find an actual person who saw this movie.” Read at The Independent ↗ Left · 1Fonda called it a "big, brave risk" for Cruise and said it was a risky way to "wake us up about the climate crisis". Del Toro answered an IGN post by saying the film "delivers in scale, ambition and reach at a theatrical screen level". Alfonso Cuarón shared old negative reviews of films that later became acclaimed, including Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The IndependentLC “It was a big, brave risk for him to take on this role and he was very good in it and very brave.”“The film delivers in scale, ambition and reach at a theatrical screen level.”“Alfonso Cuarón shared a series of scathing reviews of films that later achieved widespread acclaim, including Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Metropolis and The Shining.” Read at The Independent ↗
Centre · 1/Film says critics and audiences are polarised, including its own staff. One of its reviewers called the film an audacious but self-indulgent experiment saved by Cruise's performance. It says some argue the flop proves the film is bad, while others say it is worth seeing on a big screen. /FilmN “Iñárritu's movie has proven quite polarizing amongst audiences and critics, the /Film staff included.”“Some folks have, in turn, argued that the movie's commercial failure is proof that it's simply no good, while others have insisted it's worth checking out on the big screen” Read at /Film ↗ Centre · 1/Film adds that the result is a blow to Cruise, whose role was seen as a return to prestige filmmaking, and to Iñárritu, whose most expensive film this is. It argues against reading the flop as a verdict on Warner Bros. making original films, and criticises the Warner Bros.–Paramount merger and studio chief David Zaslav. /FilmN “this was seen as his return to prestige filmmaking after almost a decade of nothing but "Mission: Impossible" movies and action blockbusters.”“to spin this as some sort of catastrophe for Warner Bros. and a sign that it should stay away from original movies with big budgets would be a mistake.” Read at /Film ↗ Left · 1The Independent also says the film's distributors have themselves joked about the bad reviews in its promotion. The IndependentLC “something the distributors themselves have poked fun at in the promotion of the movie” Read at The Independent ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Independent treats the story as a coordinated celebrity push to counter bad reviews of a flop, comparing it to an Oscars campaign.
- Emphasis
- A long list of named supporters and their quotes, including attacks on critics and Rotten Tomatoes.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives no estimate of projected losses or any critic's view of the film's merits.
- Charged language
- “box office bomb”“scathing reviews”“attempting to generate a wave of positive word of mouth”
- For example
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“Here are the celebrities attempting to generate a wave of positive word of mouth around a film that has struggled to win over critics and audiences alike.” — The Independent
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- /Film centres on Hathaway's defence, with commentary on the film's finances and Hollywood's studio economics.
- Emphasis
- The film's polarising reception, losses of up to $250 million, and an opinionated take on the Warner Bros. merger and Zaslav.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the other stars who have backed the film.
- Charged language
- “financial catastrophe”“disastrous opening weekend”“mega-corporate monster”
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Digger is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and stars Tom Cruise as an oil tycoon.
- The film opened badly at the box office and divided critics.
- Anne Hathaway praised it on Letterboxd, writing '10/10'.
Where accounts differ
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The film's budget and expected losses
- Left
- The Independent: $160 million budget, $8 million opening weekend.
- Centre
- /Film: reportedly over $200 million to make, and could lose as much as $250 million.
Anne Hathaway person
Hathaway praises the film, says it is worth seeing, and rates it 10/10.
“It’s worth making the time see and decide for yourself what you make of it. For me? 10/10.” — The Independent
Tom Cruise person
Cruise is described as the lead and the focus of supporters' praise. The coverage gives no direct comment from Cruise.
“Your work in Digger has to be seen, thought about and discussed to be fully appreciated.” — The Independent
Digger (film) other
Digger is described as divisive: panned by many critics, a flop financially, and defended by a group of film figures.
“Iñárritu's movie has proven quite polarizing amongst audiences and critics, the /Film staff included.” — /Film
Left1 article
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Anne Hathaway becomes latest in growing number of stars to back Tom Cruise’s box office bomb
Mixed Rundown of star endorsements presented as an organised effort to rescue a panned, underperforming film.
Centre1 article
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/FilmN ·
Anne Hathaway Defends Tom Cruise's Digger Following Disastrous Box Office Results
Mixed Commentary on Hathaway's endorsement that calls the film a financial catastrophe but defends original big-budget filmmaking and attacks studio consolidation.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 9 Oct 12:48 First The IndependentLC Anne Hathaway becomes latest in growing number of stars to back Tom Cruise’s box office bomb
- 9 Oct 13:31 +43m /FilmN Anne Hathaway Defends Tom Cruise's Digger Following Disastrous Box Office Results
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.