Tom Cruise's Digger opens to about $8–10M, one of his weakest debuts this century
Digger, Alejandro G. Iñárritu's satire starring Tom Cruise, had a weak US opening weekend of roughly $8–10 million against a reported budget of $120–200 million. Outlets agree it is a flop but differ on the estimates and the reasons.
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The story, neutrally told
Centre · 1Digger, a Warner Bros. film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise, had one of the weakest opening weekends of Cruise's career this century, according to Collider. ColliderN “Tom Cruise’s divisive Digger delivers one of the actor’s weakest box-office debuts of the millennium.” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 1Collider reported the film earned about $1.2 million in Thursday previews and $4 million on its opening day including those previews, and said it was on course to finish just under $10 million for the weekend. ColliderN “Including the $1.2 million preview haul, Digger's opening-day total stands at $4 million. As things stand, the film will finish just under the double-digit mark this weekend” Read at Collider ↗ Right · 1Breitbart put the opening at $8 million from over 3,300 theatres, and said some estimates were lower still. BreitbartR “Digger opened to a dreadful $8 million despite a massive release into over 3,300 theaters.”“Some estimates are even lower than $8 million.” Read at Breitbart ↗
Centre · 1Collider said the result is Cruise's worst opening weekend since 2007's Lions for Lambs, and that fellow newcomer Verity beat Digger's previews with $4.5 million. ColliderN “which represents Cruise's worst opening-weekend haul since 2007's Lions for Lambs”“utterly outclassed by fellow newcomer Verity, which grossed $4.5 million” Read at Collider ↗ Mixed · 2The reported production budget varies: Collider cited figures between $120 million and $200 million, while Breitbart said about $180 million was rumoured, plus a promotion budget it estimated at no less than $70 million, for roughly $250 million in total. ColliderN “Digger's budget has been reported to be anywhere between $120 million and $200 million.” Read at Collider ↗ BreitbartR “With a production budget rumored to be around $180 million and a promotion budget that must have grazed at least $70 million” Read at Breitbart ↗ Mixed · 2Collider said the film is eyeing a global debut of about $20 million and holds a 52% Rotten Tomatoes score; Breitbart cited a C+ CinemaScore from audiences, which it called a sign of a quick decline. ColliderN “Globally, the movie is eying a $20 million debut.”“The movie is currently sitting at a 52% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes” Read at Collider ↗ BreitbartR “an absolutely dreadful C+ Cinemascore from those who saw the movie is generally a sign of a quick, painful, and expensive death.” Read at Breitbart ↗
Right · 1Breitbart's columnist John Nolte projected that the domestic total would not reach $20 million and that Warner's losses would be about $150 million. BreitbartR “Digger’s domestic box office will die without hitting $20 million. That would put Warner’s losses in the $150 million range.” Read at Breitbart ↗ Centre · 1Collider tied the release to a corporate change: it said Digger is the last release of Warner Bros. as an independent entity, which will be rebranded with Paramount as the Skydance Corporation, and that it also ends the tenure of studio chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca, per a Puck report. ColliderN “Digger's release also marks the end of studio chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca's tenure at the company, according to a recent Puck report.” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 1Collider said the film was marketed as Cruise's return to non-franchise filmmaking and a possible route to an acting Oscar, and contrasted it with last year's One Battle After Another, which won Best Picture. ColliderN “Digger was marketed as Cruise's long-awaited return to non-IP filmmaking — a movie that could win him an elusive acting Oscar.”“the Leonardo DiCaprio-led action-adventure won the Best Picture honor on the back of excellent reviews” Read at Collider ↗
Right · 1Breitbart attributed the failure to the film's politics, calling it an attack on oil and a "woke lecture" rejected by audiences, a view Collider's report does not offer. BreitbartR “Digger’s bombastic attack on the oil that makes Western Civilization possible is already going through a”“Film Twitter is butthurt over their latest woke lecture getting creamed” Read at Breitbart ↗
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.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Industry-focused account of a historic bomb that coincides with the end of Warner Bros. as an independent studio.
- Emphasis
- Preview and opening-day figures, comparison with Lions for Lambs and One Battle After Another, reviews and studio leadership changes.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not report the CinemaScore or the number of theatres.
- Charged language
- “historic box-office bomb”“desperate bid”
- For example
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“the movie itself is poised to become a historic box-office bomb, with actual opening numbers falling short of even the most pessimistic projections.” — Collider
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Culture-war opinion column presenting the flop as the result of Hollywood's out-of-touch, politically driven filmmaking.
- Emphasis
- Losses, the C+ CinemaScore, the film's climate and anti-oil message, and the claim that audiences reject 'woke' content.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention reviews or Rotten Tomatoes score, the Warner Bros. corporate change, or the Cruise comparison with earlier openings.
- Charged language
- “Climate Screed”“woke lecture”“Normal People”“pouring about $250 million down the shitter”“butthurt”
What every side reports
- Digger opened to a very weak box-office result, in single-digit millions in the US.
- Digger was directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, stars Tom Cruise and is a Warner Bros. release.
- The film's budget was in the region of $120–250 million depending on whether promotion is included.
Where accounts differ
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Size of the opening weekend
- Centre
- Collider says just under $10 million, with $4 million on opening day including previews.
- Right
- Breitbart says $8 million, with some estimates lower.
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Why the film underperformed
- Centre
- Collider points to divisive reviews (52% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a failed marketing pivot.
- Right
- Breitbart blames a "climate screed" and "woke" content that it says alienated mainstream audiences.
Tom Cruise person
Cruise is described by Collider as 'the last movie star' struggling to draw audiences; Breitbart calls the actor the biggest movie star in the world, made ugly by prosthetics in a film it says has no clear audience. Neither quotes Cruise.
“"the last movie star," Tom Cruise, is struggling to pull audiences to theaters” — Collider
“The biggest movie star in the world gets ugly under a ton of prosthetics.” — Breitbart
Warner Bros. Discovery organisation
Warner Bros. is presented as having invested heavily in the film; Collider says Digger is its last release as an independent studio, and Breitbart estimates losses near $150 million. The studio is not quoted.
“Digger, is the final release in the studio's history as an independent entity.” — Collider
“Warner Bros. went all in on star Tom Cruise and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu” — Breitbart
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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Tom Cruise’s New $200M Movie Is Officially One of His Worst Box Office Debuts
Mixed Trade-style report on the weak opening, set against Warner Bros.' corporate end and Cruise's career, with sympathetic regret and critical notes on marketing.
Right1 article
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Nolte: Tom Cruise’s Climate Screed ‘Digger’ Opens to $8M, Deadly C+ Cinemascore
Critical Opinion column using the box-office result to attack Hollywood's politics and 'woke' content.
- 3 Oct 16:30 First ColliderN Tom Cruise’s New $200M Movie Is Officially One of His Worst Box Office Debuts
- 3 Oct 18:59 +2h 29m BreitbartR Nolte: Tom Cruise’s Climate Screed ‘Digger’ Opens to $8M, Deadly C+ Cinemascore
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.