Tom Cruise starrer Digger opens to poor box office numbers worldwide

Alejandro Inarritu's satire Digger has bombed at the worldwide box office after earning $20 million during its opening weekend. The film features Tom Cruise as a greedy oil tycoon in an unrecognizable role. Digger collected $8 million in North America, falling short of trade predictions that estimated between $12 million and $15 million. It also earned Rs 1.55 crore in India. The worldwide total stands at $20 million after adding $12 million from overseas markets, making this Cruise's lowest opening weekend in nearly two decades.

Financial Losses

The film was made on a budget of $125 million with an additional $100 million spent on promotions. According to The Guardian, Digger is on track to lose almost $150 million. The low opening makes it the lowest for a Tom Cruise film in North America in 19 years, since Robert Redford's 2007 war drama Lions for Lambs opened at $6.7 million. In contrast, that film had a much smaller budget of $35 million. Meanwhile, Michael Showalter's thriller Verity earned $32.8 million in its opening weekend, easily beating Digger in North America despite negative reviews.

India Box Office

In India, Digger opened on October 2, which was a Gandhi Jayanti holiday, collecting Rs 78 lakh on its first day. It failed to cross the daily mark of Rs 1 crore, earning Rs 45 lakh on Saturday and the same amount on Sunday from over 400 screens. Its total domestic collection stands at Rs 1.55 crore net. The film faced stiff competition from Abhishek Pathak's crime thriller Drishyam 3, starring Ajay Devgn, which earned Rs 176.50 crore from over 17,000 screens during the same opening weekend.

Cast Reactions

Despite the poor box office numbers, Tom Cruise called the project an honour and shared pictures on social media from the set. The film's cast also includes John Goodman as the US President, Riz Ahmed as scientist Ganesh, Sandra Huller as Emma Rockwell, Michael Showalter as the US Vice President, and Jesse Plemons as Kenny. Filmmaker Ron Howard, who directed Cruise in the 1992 film Far and Away, praised the performance on social media, calling it impressive with great twists and outstanding work.

Context

High-budget Hollywood satire films occasionally struggle to connect with mass audiences during opening weekends, especially when competing against established commercial franchises and regional blockbusters. Box office performance is typically driven by opening weekend ticket sales, which dictate whether a studio recovers its production and promotional costs.