Warner Bros. is answering a split verdict on Tom Cruise’s “Digger” by showing the split itself, releasing an ad Tuesday that pairs raves with pans and tells viewers to “decide for yourself.”
The spot arrived the morning the review embargo lifted on the climate satire from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Critics landed almost evenly on both sides, giving the film roughly 52% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score in the low-to-mid 40s on Metacritic. It is Cruise’s first film rated “rotten” on the site in nine years, and the first for Iñárritu.
The 30-second teaser flips social media reactions across the screen in pairs. White type carries the praise (“Masterpiece,” “Magnificent”). Orange carries the insults (“Baffling,” “Insufferable”), always on top. A closing card reads, “Same film, different truth.”
Reviews justify the treatment. The Boston Globe gave the film zero stars and called it “the worst movie of Tom Cruise’s career.” The BBC’s critic grinned through Cruise’s “thunderous lectures” on the oil industry and praised the film’s grim environmental message. Even harsh reviews credit Cruise, who plays Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon whose drilling in Greenland breaks loose an ice shelf and sets off a global catastrophe. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller and Jesse Plemons co-star.
Decide for yourself. DIGGER – in theaters and IMAX FRIDAY. Tickets on sale now. https://t.co/Z1IpSpFnXd pic.twitter.com/e5ID4WUxbL
— Warner Bros. (@warnerbros) September 29, 2026
The stakes reach past reviews. Cruise, a three-time acting nominee who received an honorary Oscar last year, has never won a competitive statuette, and “Digger” was billed as his return to non-action work after a run of blockbusters. Some early prognosticators now say his awards chances have dimmed.
The film also faces a commercial test. Tracking services put its domestic opening at $19 million to $20 million, and one analyst who studied presales sees closer to $10 million. Warner Bros. lists the budget at $125 million to $130 million, though some reports place it near $180 million.
The studio can point to a precedent. “One Battle After Another” opened to $22 million last year and still built a strong run and an awards haul. “Digger” opens Friday in theaters and IMAX, and it arrives with a warning label the studio wrote itself.
