Warner Bros.
The box office projections for 'Digger' are not good
It’s been over a decade since Tom Cruise starred in a non-action movie. And based on the outlook for Digger, he may never do one again.
Digger, which will be hitting theaters on October 2, is directed by Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and stars Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a billionaire oil tycoon racing to prove he’s humanity’s savior after triggering a global environmental catastrophe.
Tom Cruise’s new movie Digger is dividing critics and tracking to make under $20 million in its opening weekend
The film is a massive swing for Cruise as it’s a satirical black comedy from a largely non-commercial filmmaker in Iñárritu, the director of movies such as Babel, Birdman, and The Revenant. And based on the early reviews and box office projections, the iconic actor’s gamble may be going bust.
Critics who caught early screenings have been largely baffled by the project, with one calling it “kind of generally unpleasant” with “some plot choices baffling.” Award Radar’s critic agreed, calling Digger “a mess.”
Indiewire‘s Anne Thompson, on the other hand, called it “a brave and gorgeous art film that will not score with mainstream audiences,” while critic Jim Hemphill declared it “one of the most visually inventive, conceptually audacious, and unpredictable studio movies ever made.”
Even in the poor reviews of the film, Cruise’s performance has largely been praised, which bodes well for his Oscar campaign — which may be all that can be salvaged from the film.
According to Puck‘s Matt Belloni, who said the critics’ screening went “horribly,” Digger is tracking to make $19 million in its opening weekend — which he described as being “good enough.”
Tom Cruise’s DIGGER debuted on tracking last night at $20 million domestic, per NRG. Not good enough.
— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) September 15, 2026
Despite the Tom Cruise press blitz, DIGGER tracking has dropped to a $19M domestic opening, per NRG. (Its screening for awards press on Friday also went horribly.) Maybe the marketing pivot will turn this around?
— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) September 22, 2026
In addition to Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jesse Plemons also star in the film. You can check out the official trailer for Digger below.