Tom Cruise’s Digger opens far below its reported costs
Alejandro G Iñárritu’s satire took $20m globally in its opening weekend, as Warner Bros faces an estimated $150m loss ahead of its merger with Paramount Skydance.
Digger opened to $20m worldwide, a weak start for a film with a reported production budget of about $150m and estimated marketing costs of $100m. The Guardian reports Warner Bros could lose approximately $150m, though that figure is a projection rather than a final accounting.
Tom Cruise’s film earned $8m in North America and $12m across 74 international markets. Amazon MGM’s Verity led the North American box office with a $32.6m debut.
The opening undercuts Digger’s positioning as an awards-season contender. Warner Bros had used “decide for yourself” advertising after poor reviews; critics largely described the satire as a strained climate-change farce, while audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore.
The result lands as Paramount Skydance prepares to complete its acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, a $110bn deal approved by a US district court last Wednesday. Paramount said the merger would close on Tuesday, with mass layoffs anticipated.
Digger’s performance also stands against Warner Bros’ earlier awards-season success with One Battle After Another, which grossed $213.2m worldwide and won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
