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Tom Cruise's 'Digger' Flops at Box Office, Fans Debate Next Move
Confirmed
In Short: Tom Cruise's latest film 'Digger' has flopped at the box office, with IndieWire staffers offering suggestions for his next project.
Tom Cruise's latest film, 'Digger,' has flopped at the box office, with the movie grossing just $8 million domestically and $12 million internationally, totaling $20 million globally.
The film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, was a satirical take on climate villainy, featuring Cruise as a Texas oil baron named Digger Rockwell.
Despite the poor performance, Cruise's track record at the box office has typically been strong, with even poorly reviewed films performing decently.
IndieWire staffers are now debating what Cruise should do next, with some suggesting a sequel to 'Days of Thunder' or a reboot of 'Top Gun: Maverick,' which was a critical and commercial success.
Jim Hemphill, an IndieWire contributor, suggested that Cruise could bankroll his next project himself, using the profits from the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise.
Hemphill noted that 'Maverick' worked because it embraced the DNA of the original 'Top Gun' while also injecting bigger, bolder ideas into the story.
The new regime at Warner Bros. is unlikely to finance another high-budget project for Cruise, making it necessary for him to find alternative funding sources.
SlashFilm pointed out that 'Digger' was shaping up to be a box office disaster for Cruise even before its release, with the film tracking to earn closer to $20 million in North America.
Reason Magazine described 'Digger' as a 'spectacular misfire,' noting that while it was conceptually bold, it was mostly an exercise in teeth-grinding awfulness.
Slate noted that 'Digger' was hard to discuss meaningfully without disclosing its basic premise, which revolves around a global environmental catastrophe set off by the carelessness and greed of a Texas oil baron.
The film's failure has left fans and critics alike wondering how the biggest movie star in the world wound up at the center of such a disaster.
What this adds
The film's failure marks a significant departure from Cruise's typical strong box office performance.
The mixed reviews and poor box office performance of 'Digger' have led to a renewed interest in Cruise's career trajectory and future projects.
The merger between Paramount and Warner Bros., set to close next week, may affect future projects for Cruise, given the financial implications of 'Digger's' flop.
Background
Cruise's track record at the box office has typically been strong, with even poorly reviewed films performing decently.
Tom Cruise's latest film, 'Digger,' has drawn mixed reviews despite a soft opening at the box office.
What's confirmed
- Tom Cruise's latest film, 'Digger,' has flopped at the box office, with the movie grossing just $8 million domestically and $12 million internationally, totaling $20 million globally.
- The film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, was a satirical take on climate villainy, featuring Cruise as a Texas oil baron named Digger Rockwell.
- Despite the poor performance, Cruise's track record at the box office has typically been strong, with even poorly reviewed films performing decently.
- IndieWire staffers are now debating what Cruise should do next, with some suggesting a sequel to 'Days of Thunder' or a reboot of 'Top Gun: Maverick,' which was a critical and commercial success.
- Jim Hemphill, an IndieWire contributor, suggested that Cruise could bankroll his next project himself, using the profits from the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise.
- Hemphill noted that 'Maverick' worked because it embraced the DNA of the original 'Top Gun' while also injecting bigger, bolder ideas into the story.
- The new regime at Warner Bros. is unlikely to finance another high-budget project for Cruise, making it necessary for him to find alternative funding sources.
- SlashFilm pointed out that 'Digger' was shaping up to be a box office disaster for Cruise even before its release, with the film tracking to earn closer to $20 million in North America.
- Reason Magazine described 'Digger' as a 'spectacular misfire,' noting that while it was conceptually bold, it was mostly an exercise in teeth-grinding awfulness.
- Slate noted that 'Digger' was hard to discuss meaningfully without disclosing its basic premise, which revolves around a global environmental catastrophe set off by the carelessness and greed of a Texas oil baron.
- The film's failure has left fans and critics alike wondering how the biggest movie star in the world wound up at the center of such a disaster.
What's still developing
- I know the new regime at Warner Bros. won’t finance it, but you can bankroll it yourself — just launder some of that Ethan Hunt money into something truly glorious for all of us who saw “Digger” not as a plummet but an ascension. —Jim Hemphill As Cruise navigates the fallout of “Digger” flopping at the box office, he’d be wise to consider his character’s own wisdom that we only have the facts right now… the story has yet to be told.
- “Digger” didn’t produce the results that Cruise was hoping for, but his next actions will determine whether his eventual obituary writers canonize it as an ill-advised footnote or the start of an incredible new chapter in a career that was already filled with them.
- Rest assured, we’re not here to re-litigate the weekend’s big box office story — hell, the year’s big box office story — about the spectacular bust of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Tom Cruise -starring satire “ Digger.” Well, not exactly.
- I know what it’s like to wait decades for a sequel that sounds ready-made for disaster and then be totally blown away by its final product.
- The secret sauce of Tony Scott’s film was always that we actually cared about Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and that his literally high-flying adventures were a way to get closer to him, not just an excuse for big-and-loud action.
- One key issue going into this merger set to close next week: Digger, with its $180 million budget, is opening to dismal numbers this weekend.
- Despite its box office prospects, director Guillermo del Toro defended Digger on social media after IGN wrote: "The theater experience won’t change your mind on Digger, and the laughs that are there still will be when it hits HBO Max."
- "Entirely Petty headline. Love it or not. And, yes, I do. The film delivers in scale, ambition and reach at a theatrical screen level. Daring, bold and cinematically complex. Decidedly a theatrical experience."
- "We wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. — and all our extraordinary brands — to remain in the spotlight."
- Interstellar and Project Hail Mary are much better films by any measure, but their status as "climate cinema" is at least arguable.
- It's an over-the-top satire of climate villainy, with a prickly oil baron (Cruise) as its central figure and a pompous president (John Goodman) plus his cabinet of advisers in supporting roles.
- He's one of the biggest movie stars on the planet and has been since he headlined hits like "Top Gun" in the '80s.