Tom Cruise's Digger Bombs With $8 Million Opening

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Tom Cruise's 'Digger' opened to $8 million domestically, far below the $30 million that third-party tracking had suggested weeks earlier. The satirical black comedy added $12 million from 73 international markets.

The reported budget

'Digger' centers on Cruise's oil tycoon, who causes a natural disaster. The initial production budget was $125 million, with reports putting the final cost closer to $180 million. Warner Bros. disputed that figure. Marketing spending was around $100 million, THR reports. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller also star.

Sources told THR that Warner Bros. staff feel a pervasive sadness that Alejandro G. Iñárritu's film failed to find an audience. People on the lot who loved it saw it multiple times and hoped general audiences would give it a chance, according to THR.

The buildup and the pivot

At CinemaCon in April, the film was greeted with palpable excitement. Iñárritu called it a "high-wire act" when he and Cruise introduced the first footage, THR reports. The movie skipped a splashy festival premiere, which led to debate about whether Warner Bros. was cautious after 'Joker: Folie à Deux' was criticized at Venice.

A festival launch might not have helped. CinemaScore audiences gave it a C+, and its Rotten Tomatoes approval rating is 51 percent, according to THR.

The marketing reportedly pivoted to embrace the divisive response as release approached. One promotional video highlighted negative reactions while Cruise's character said, "Fuck those people."

'Tom Cruise has always been a risk taker,' Rentrak's Paul Dergarabedian told THR. 'The challenge is that having Cruise as the star doesn't automatically make a film a mainstream blockbuster.'

Fandango's Shawn Robbins told THR that Cruise has earned the right to take a creative swing, and the "decide for yourself" marketing campaign may gain meaning over time.

What's next for Cruise

This is the second straight Cruise release to lose money, following last year's pricey 'Mission: Impossible' sequel, THR reports. Anne Hathaway's thriller 'Verity' far surpassed 'Digger' this weekend. Cruise and Hathaway are set to make the 'Days of Thunder' sequel, with Jonathan Levine directing. Paramount is also teasing a sequel to 'Top Gun: Maverick.'

The release is a low note for Warner Bros. before its merger with Paramount Skydance is expected to close in the coming days. It follows other ambitious projects from departing film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy that struggled, including 'The Bride!'

THR also recounts that Zack Snyder learned of '300''s box office success in 2008 from a congratulatory call from Cruise, who was not involved in that film. The anecdote underscores how much box office numbers matter to Cruise.

'Digger has provided a reality check on how the business works in today's unpredictable movie marketplace environment,' Dergarabedian added.

• Alejandro G. Iñárritu
• box office
• Days of Thunder 2
• Digger
• Tom Cruise
• Warner Bros.