Digger is now on course to be the biggest box office flop of all time, with its second weekend ticket sales dropping by a huge 60 per cent.
asserted
sales → drop → cent
During its opening weekend, Tom Cruise and director Alejandro G Iñárritu's critically panned satire grossed just $8million in US cinemas, with international sales of $12million from 74 countries.
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satire → pan → countries
Ticket sales for the movie declined by 60 per cent in its second weekend, bringing its tally to $14.4million domestically and $35.3million globally.
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sales → decline → 14.4million
Industry insiders report that the movie is now tracking to lose a huge $245million in its theatrical run, with its estimated global box office total to be just $50million.
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total → report → run
Variety reports that the movie needs $350million globally to break even because cinema owners get to keep about half of ticket sales.
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owners → report → sales
Warner Bros. greenlit the film for $125million, but the budget soared to an estimated $180million after production went over schedule.
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production → greenlit → schedule
The studio then spent another $100million on marketing, which has seen leading man Cruise in megadrive mode fronting months of teasers and social media campaigns.
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Cruise → spend → teasers
Digger is now on course to be the biggest box office flop of all time, with its second weekend ticket sales dropping by a huge 60%
If the estimates pan out and Digger does lose $245million, it would put the film among the biggest box office bombs of all time.
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it → drop → time
With $161million in losses, Disney's 2012 flop John Carter holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest flop in history.
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flop → hold → history
A year later Disney suffered another $160million loss with The Lone Ranger.
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Disney → suffer → Ranger
Rewinding to 1995, director Renny Harlin’s failure Cutthroat Island earns its place in the history books after it made just $16million upon its release, against an estimated $100million budget.
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it → rewinde → budget
Adjusted for inflation, that amounts to a $105million loss.
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that → adjust → loss
The movie also bankrupted its production studio, Carolco Pictures.
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movie → bankrupt → studio
In terms of Cruise's box office history, the actor’s 2007 political thriller Lions for Lambs was another major flop but cost only $35million to make.
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thriller → cost → 35million
Ten years later Cruise’s attempt at revitalising The Mummy franchise was also a huge misfire, losing $95million.
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attempt → revitalise → 95million
The movie had been considered a vehicle to land Cruise his first competitive Academy Award, with insiders estimating Warner Bros. will have stumped up around $15million for an Oscar campaign.
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Bros. → consider → campaign
Digger is one of the few awards-focused movies that Cruise has starred in for almost three decades and is directed by four-time Oscar winner Alejandro, who is known for his work on Birdman and The Revenant.
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who → focus → Birdman
Ticket sales for Tom Cruise's movie declined by 60 per cent in its second weekend, bringing its tally to $14.4 million domestically and $35.3 million globally
Warner Bros. greenlit the film for $125million, but the budget soared to $180million after production went over schedule.
asserted
production → decline → schedule
The studio then spent another $100million on marketing
Some Hollywood insiders suggest that the movie star could still be on course for his first Oscar, despite the biggest box office flop of his career.
uncertain
star → spend → career
The actor did receive an honorary Oscar last year celebrating his four decades in Hollywood.
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actor → receive → Hollywood
Awards site Gold Derby experts currently have Cruise in fourth for a Best Actor nomination (with odds at 63 per cent) but caution the 2027 category is a hotly contested race with Andrew Scott (Elsinore), John Malkovich (Wild Horse Nine) and Matt Damon (The Odyssey) all thought to be shoo-ins for a nod.
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Scott → have → nod
As the first box office numbers trickled in, Warner Bros. tested out a new marketing strategy for Digger.
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Bros. → trickle → Digger
The social media accounts for the movie are leaning into the divisive reaction, reposting any positive fan review it can find and adding thunderous replies in the style of Cruise's oil tycoon character such as 'HIT 'EM WITH THE HARD TRUTH.'
But one post which took direct aim at US critics and their scathing reviews has been deleted by the studio.
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which → lean → studio
Last month, as the critical reviews rolled in, an online ad was shared on X which showed Cruise as Digger Rockwell saying, 'America has stood beside the world in its darkest of hours,' to which Riz Ahmed's character shoots back, 'Not anymore'.
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character → roll → which
The ad then flashed up a succession of critic quotes alongside a flag representing the critic's country.
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ad → flash → country
The first from a Mexican YouTuber who called the film 'Epic, Extraordinary and Biting', was followed by a quote from US site Playlist which called the film 'Grotesque, Deliberately Tacky'.
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which → call → film
There was also a line from a French critic who declared the film 'a Gem of Intelligence', followed by The New York Post calling it 'An Unintentionally Bad Movie'.
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Post → be → it
The ad concluded with Cruise's character declaring, 'You decide which!'
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You → conclude → which
As of Monday the ad was no longer available on X. Reactions to the post remain on the site though with one fan deciding: 'a film's marketing calling out how dumb Americans are is such a beast mode move man, I might have to watch it now!
uncertain
I → remain → it
'They’re saying Americans are too dumb for DIGGER.
asserted
Americans → say → DIGGER
Prove the Europeans wrong and go to the movies.
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Europeans → prove → movies
It’s your patriotic duty,' added another.
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another → ’ → ?
'Holy s*** they're straight up calling out americans for being the only people who didn’t like the movie,' said one more.
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one → call → movie
It's an interesting strategy for the movie, which contrary to the ad has not performed particularly well overseas.
asserted
which → perform → ad
The Aporia
