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'Digger' Loss Projection Balloons to $250 Million
By @sharedot · · 8 pages
- Film
- Tom Cruise
- Box Office
The Wrap projects Tom Cruise's 'Digger' will lose $250 million even with post-theatrical revenue included.
The Loss Gets Worse
comingsoon.net reports that a new exclusive from The Wrap projects 'Digger' will lose around $250 million, a figure expected to hold even after factoring in post-theatrical revenue. That is a sharp escalation from earlier estimates: Yahoo's SlashFilm report cited Deadline projecting a floor of $150 million, while ComingSoon notes earlier reports had pegged the loss at roughly $125 million. Skydance insiders reportedly do not expect the film to earn more than $40 million worldwide, and ComingSoon says Warner Bros. did not comment when asked about the situation.
Why the Numbers Stunned the New Studio
The timing could hardly be worse for the film's backers. comingsoon.net reports that Skydance executives were 'shocked' to discover the extent of the financial setback following the Warner Bros. and Paramount mega-merger. Yahoo's SlashFilm notes the merger closed as 'Digger' tanked, leaving the combined company's new regime needing hits to justify a reported $111 billion acquisition. The film was also heavily pushed as an Academy Awards contender, ComingSoon reports, making the collapse sting doubly.
The Anatomy of the Bomb
Released October 2, 'Digger' opened to just $8 million in the U.S. and $21 million worldwide, per comingsoon.net, which cites The Numbers putting the worldwide total at $23,016,375. The two outlets differ on the budget — ComingSoon reports $125 million while Yahoo's SlashFilm cites the oft-quoted $160 million figure plus roughly $100 million in marketing — so the true loss floor is disputed. Yahoo reports the film now sits in the same loss territory as 'Joker 2', with $50 million global a best-case scenario against mixed reviews and lousy word of mouth.
Divided Critics, Unrecognizable Cruise
comingsoon.net details the film's rocky critical reception: it premiered at London's Royal Film Performance on September 22 with a 41% Rotten Tomatoes critics' score, rising to 52% at the time of writing against a 73% audience rating. aol.co.uk describes Cruise in heavy prosthetics, nearly unrecognizable as oil tycoon Digger Rockwell — his first non-action role in nearly a decade — with critics split between calling it 'insufferable' and 'terrific'. Cruise himself has called the experience on social media an 'honour' and said he is 'so proud of what we created'.
Eyes Wide Shut Finds a Second Life
While 'Digger' sinks, MovieWeb reports a curious silver lining: Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut', the 1999 R-rated thriller starring Cruise and Nicole Kidman, is among the most-watched titles on HBO Max and sits at No. 9 on the global streaming rankings. MovieWeb notes the film grossed over $162 million against a $65 million budget, holds a 77% Certified Fresh critics' score, and remains Cruise's edgiest credit nearly three decades on — a reminder that his filmography keeps evolving long after opening weekends pass.
What Comes Next for Cruise and Warners
Yahoo's SlashFilm argues the flop has real implications for Cruise's future: after 15 years as the world's biggest action star, this was his attempt at a new career phase, and a bad start likely means playing it safer next. The outlet also frames the disaster as a warning about over-budgeted originals rather than an argument against them, and notes it caps a rough 2026 for Warner Bros., with 'Supergirl' and other bets faltering after 2025's hit streak. For devoted film fans, the question now is whether Iñárritu's satire can find its audience in the long tail Cruise insists on.
Sources
- comingsoon.net › Digger Box Office Update Reveals Tom Cruise Movie Will Lose More Money Than Anyone Realized
- yahoo.com › How Much Money Tom Cruise's Digger Will Lose At The Box Office
- aol.co.uk › Tom Cruise delivers verdict on ticket sales as Digger sees historic box office bomb - AOL
- movieweb.com › Tom Cruise's (Very) R-Rated 159-Minute Steamy Thriller Is One of the Biggest Movies in the World