New York — “Digger” has suffered a major box office collapse, opening to just $8 million from 3,321 North American theatres despite starring Tom Cruise and being directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Rivals expect the final domestic figure to settle closer to $7.5 million when Monday’s numbers are reported. With a production budget estimated at $160 million to $180 million, the film is on course to become one of the year’s biggest box office failures and potentially one of the largest bombs ever.
Warner Bros. had hoped the pairing of Cruise and Iñárritu, whose previous successes include “Birdman” and “The Revenant,” would generate an opening of at least $18 million to $20 million. Even that level of business would have created serious financial problems for the expensive satirical film. Box office analysts say a debut closer to $40 million would have been necessary to support its enormous cost.
Those expectations were repeatedly lowered as negative buzz intensified. The R-rated satire finished fifth, behind fellow newcomer “Verity” and holdovers “Resident Evil” and “Heart of the Beast.”
“For a black comedy, the numbers are not bad. But black comedies are small films, and this isn’t a small film. It’s a Tom Cruise movie,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Re. “The comedy walks a fine line, and when it misses, it misses.”
The poor reception surrounding “Digger” became so pronounced that Warner Bros. attempted to turn the criticism into part of its marketing campaign. One recent advertisement encouraged audiences to “decide for yourself” after critics described the movie as “unpleasant” and “baffling.” Another marketing effort suggested that American audiences were the only viewers rejecting the movie.
International audiences, however, responded similarly. “Digger” earned $12 million from 73 overseas markets, giving it a worldwide opening of $20 million.
The film was an unusually risky proposition as a large-scale, star-led R-rated original comedy. Warner Bros. initially approved the project at $125 million, but production costs increased after filming extended beyond schedule. The studio also spent another $100 million on worldwide marketing.
Executives familiar with comparable films estimate that “Digger” needs approximately $350 million worldwide to break even theatrically. A Warner Bros. spokesperson disputed that figure, putting the break-even point at $300 million.
Regardless of which estimate is used, the film is expected to lose at least $150 million to $200 million during its theatrical run. Since theatres retain roughly half of ticket revenue, the studio faces significant losses. Cruise also receives first-dollar gross, allowing him to receive a percentage of revenue before Warner Bros. recovers its expenses.
“Even with respectable ancillary income based on the film’s pedigree,” Gross said, referring to digital rentals, sales, streaming and television licensing, “the movie is going to lose a lot of money.”
The result adds to a difficult 2026 for Warner Bros., which has already released underperformers including “The Bride” and “Supergirl.” The disappointing result also arrives just as Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. is expected to close next week.
Warner co-chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy announced their departures on Friday as the merger approaches its Oct. 6 closing. The pair oversaw a strong run in 2025, which included hits such as “Sinners,” “A Minecraft Movie” and “Weapons.” But the studio’s major releases in 2026 have struggled to break through, with none surpassing $100 million domestically.
A year ago, few in Hollywood would have predicted “Verity” would beat “Digger” at the domestic box office. Yet Amazon MGM’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel easily claimed first place, collecting $32.6 million from 3,510 theatres.
The result marks Hathaway’s third No. 1 opening of 2026, following “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and “The Odyssey.” Hathaway, who is very pregnant, has recently joked that she plans to disappear for the rest of the year.
“Verity” added another $30 million internationally, taking its worldwide total to $62.5 million.
Directed by “The Big Sick” filmmaker Michael Showalter, “Verity” follows celebrated author Verity Crawford, played by Hathaway, after she suffers serious injuries in a car accident. Her husband, portrayed by Josh Hartnett, hires a struggling writer, played by Johnson, to finish the remaining books in Crawford’s popular series.
The film has received weak reviews and word-of-mouth, earning a “C+” CinemaScore and a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, “Verity” was made for $40 million and is expected to become profitable for Amazon MGM.
“This is an excellent opening,” Gross said. “The reception is not hurting the film. Audiences are showing up in big numbers.”
Hollywood has increasingly turned to Hoover’s novels because they appeal to an underserved female audience while requiring comparatively modest production budgets. “Verity” drew an opening-weekend audience that was 78% female, with people aged 25 to 34 accounting for the largest demographic at 38%.
Among film adaptations of Hoover’s novels, “Verity” delivered the second-biggest opening. Only Sony’s 2024 hit “It Ends With Us,” which debuted with $50 million, performed better. “Verity” opened ahead of Paramount’s 2025 release “Regretting You,” which made $13.6 million, and Universal’s 2026 film “Reminders of Him,” which opened with $17 million. “It Ends With Us” remains the biggest worldwide performer among the three, with $350 million globally.
“Resident Evil” held second place despite the arrival of “Digger,” earning $12.5 million in its third weekend. The R-rated Sony reboot, directed by “Weapons” filmmaker Zach Cregger, has now earned $124.8 million domestically and $215 million worldwide against a $75 million production budget.
The film represents Sony’s second straight box office success following “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which has reached $954 million in North America and $2.5 billion worldwide.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” currently ranks as the third-highest-grossing movie ever, behind “Avengers: Endgame” at $2.925 billion and “Avatar” at $2.923 billion. However, Disney’s recent re-release of “Avengers: Endgame” has changed the top spot again. The Marvel film has earned $126 million from two additional weekends, allowing it to reclaim the title of highest-grossing movie of all time.
Disney brought the film back to cinemas with additional footage as part of the promotional buildup for “Avengers: Doomsday,” which arrives in December.
“Heart of the Beast” finished third with $11 million in its second weekend, down 45% from its opening. The Brad Pitt survival thriller has now collected $38.3 million domestically and $98.6 million worldwide, putting it close to the $100 million global mark.
Paramount spent $82 million producing the well-reviewed film, meaning its theatrical performance will depend on continued audience interest and international business as it attempts to recover its costs.
“Primetime,” starring Robert Pattinson as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen, placed fourth with $8 million in its second weekend. That represented a 58% decline from its $19 million debut.
The A24 psychological drama has accumulated $34 million in North America against a $15 million budget. It has yet to debut in most international markets.
The domestic box office has reached $7.95 billion through the weekend, according to Rentrak, representing a 19% increase over the same point in 2025. The market is now approximately $50 million short of the $8 billion milestone, a threshold that was not reached last year until December.
“September certainly did its part,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends, pointing to releases such as “Resident Evil” and “Primetime.”
“For a month that has often been viewed as something of a transitional period on the theatrical calendar, that is another strong indication of the depth and durability of the 2026 marketplace.”
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