Overview
- The Alejandro G. Iñárritu film Digger debuted this weekend with roughly $8 million in North America and about $20 million worldwide, a result far below Warner Bros.’s $12–15 million projection.
- Reports differ on production costs but place the budget between $125 million and as high as $160–180 million, which industry estimates say pushes the film’s break-even range toward roughly $300 million–$350 million when marketing is included.
- Critics and audiences are divided, with the film holding about 51 percent on critic aggregates and a C+ CinemaScore, producing weak word-of-mouth that undermined its wide IMAX-first rollout.
- Tom Cruise posted praise for the film on social media and several filmmakers publicly defended its ambition, but those endorsements have not translated into box-office traction so far.
- Digger’s failure arrives as Warner Bros. finalizes a takeover and sees senior film executives depart, raising immediate questions about the studio’s tolerance for high-cost, auteur-driven projects and the future greenlight strategy.