Tom Cruise's Digger Opens to $8 Million, His Weakest Debut in Nearly 20 Years

Tom Cruise’s Digger opened to roughly $8 million in North America this weekend, the weakest debut of his career in nearly two decades and a costly miss for Warner Bros.

The satirical comedy, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, played in about 3,300 theaters and finished fifth. It landed behind Primetime, Heart of the Beast and Resident Evil. The Colleen Hoover adaptation Verity claimed first place with $32.6 million. Rival studios think Digger’s final figure could slip to around $7.5 million when official totals arrive.

International markets offered no rescue. The film took in $12 million from 73 territories, for a worldwide start of $20 million. Cruise films usually draw strong overseas crowds.

The numbers look worse against the price tag. Reports put the budget between $125 million and $180 million, with production running long. Warner Bros. also spent tens of millions on marketing. Cruise worked the publicity circuit, but projections fell as release day neared. Industry sources estimate the film needs about $350 million worldwide to break even. Executives familiar with the finances told one trade outlet the studio faces a loss of $150 million or more, and another put the figure as high as $200 million.

The studio had hoped for an opening of $12 million to $15 million, according to one account. Another report cited a target of $18 million to $20 million. Box office analysts said a film with this budget needed closer to $40 million.

The debut is Cruise’s smallest since Lions for Lambs, which opened to $6.7 million in 2007. That political thriller cost $35 million to make. Cruise, 64, built his reputation on dependable openings, and critics gave Digger a mixed reception.

Digger now sits among the most expensive failures in recent studio history. One outlet placed it alongside John Carter, Cutthroat Island and The Lone Ranger, and the movie is on track to be the year’s biggest bomb.

The wider market is healthy. Domestic ticket sales have reached $7.95 billion this year, a 19 percent gain on the same point in 2025. Verity, made for $40 million, collected $62 million worldwide in its first weekend.