On paper, it all sounded great. The superstar Tom Cruise meets the auteur Alejandro G. Iñárritu and together they construct a satire lampooning the power-hungry billionaire class.
Warner Bros., the filmmaker-friendly studio under the guidance of Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca, believe in Mr. Iñárritu, who had made two very different films, “Birdman” and “The Revenant,” into back-to-back best picture nominees. But that was over a decade ago. Whether audiences were rejecting the idea of their never-aging action star Mr. Cruise in a quirky dramatic role playing a gray-haired older man or they were following the dismal reviews of the film, “Digger” is on track in its opening weekend to be a resounding flop.
Audiences gave the film a C, according to the marketing research company Cinema Score. Opening in over 3,000 locations, the R-rated movie grossed an estimated $8 million for the weekend. The studio has said the film cost $125 million but others put the total closer to $150 million because of a delay in production after a cast member, John Goodman, fell on the set and had to recover before shooting could continue.
With nearly $100 million more spent on marketing — Mr. Cruise only flies private — the studio could lose $125 million to $150 million in total, making it one of the biggest flops of the year. It is an extraordinary capper for a year that has been marred by misfires. None of Warner Bros.’ 2026 films has grossed more than $100 million, and “Supergirl” and “The Bride” both produced big losses for the studio.
Now, “Digger” will be the final movie Warner Bros. will release as a stand-alone studio before it is scooped up by Paramount. (The deal is set to close on Tuesday.).
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing