"Melania" Beat "Digger" Per Theater, Adviser Says, but Both Films Struggled

Melania Trump’s senior adviser Marc Beckman used the weak opening of Tom Cruise’s “Digger” to promote the first lady’s documentary, and the comparison has drawn more skepticism than applause.

Beckman posted on social media Tuesday that “Melania” earned roughly 67% more per theater than “Digger” while opening in about half as many cinemas. He added that “Digger” played in 1,543 more theaters. He later argued the documentary “did not need Hollywood-scale distribution to command a Hollywood-scale audience.”

The arithmetic holds. “Melania” opened in 1,778 North American theaters and took in about $7.16 million. That works out to $4,027 per theater. “Digger” grossed $8 million from 3,321 theaters, an average of $2,408.

The wider numbers offer neither film much comfort. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s satire, which stars Cruise as an oil tycoon who triggers a catastrophe, added $12 million internationally for a worldwide opening near $20 million. It is Cruise’s weakest debut since “Lions for Lambs” opened to $6.7 million in 2007. Reports put the budget between $160 million and $180 million. Variety reported that marketing added roughly $100 million and that the film needs about $350 million worldwide to break even. Cruise has stayed publicly proud of the project, thanking the cast and crew in a post on X.

“Melania” has its own troubled record. Amazon reportedly spent $75 million on the film, and critics scored it far lower than “Digger,” with only 9% of reviews positive against 51% for Cruise’s film on Rotten Tomatoes. The documentary also fell 67% in its second weekend.

Commentators questioned the premise of the comparison. Euronews Culture called it illogical, and noted that its own review had described Iñárritu’s film as both the boldest release of 2026 and its wildest misfire. Others have argued “Digger” faced an uphill fight from the start, since the studio had to sell an original, non-action Cruise vehicle largely on his name. The film was also seen as a bid to finally earn Cruise an acting Oscar.