Tom Cruise Celebrates Digger's Opening Amid Disappointing Box Office

Published Oct 3, 2026, 7:13 PM EDT

Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025. 

Regardless of the box office numbers, Tom Cruise is celebrating the debut of Digger.

Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu's new satirical dark comedy film is now playing in theaters after an extensive marketing campaign and considerable buzz. However, as per Saturday's box office figures, the movie is projected to only gross $8 million domestically in its three-day debut. This is the worst box office opening for Cruise since 2007's Lions for Lambs kicked off with $6.7 million, and Digger comes with a much larger budget, with reports indicating that it is between $160 and $180 million.

Nevertheless, on his Instagram account, Cruise is celebrating Digger's opening weekend, as he posts images from the film and behind the scenes, along with a message emphasizing how "honored" he is to have made this movie, describing the experience as "unforgettable" and being "proud of what we created." Check out his full post below:

Cruise's enthusiasm and his pride in making this movie has been at the forefront of its publicity, and that is not changing despite the disappointing opening weekend box office numbers. His celebratory post is also consistent with his history of championing filmmaking and the theatrical experience, not only for projects that he is directly involved in, but others as well.

Box office performance can sometimes improve due to positive word of mouth, but this is more challenging given the film's divisive reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a "Rotten" 51% score from critics, although it does have a "Fresh" 72% from audiences. ScreenRant's Digger review is one of the more positive ones, with Brandon Zachary giving it eight out of 10 stars and writing that a "committed cast, strong production design, and whip-smart script make it all come together to be one of the most engaging and complex comedies of the year."

While it's struggling at the box office and generating a polarizing response, one area where Digger may still thrive is in the upcoming awards season. Cruise's performance has received a great deal of praise, which could lead to an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and potentially his first win outside his honorary Oscar. It was also being discussed as a Best Picture contender long before releasing in theaters.

As for the story, Cruise plays wealthy oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, whose company puts the entire world in jeopardy, and it is up to him to save it. Other key characters include Dr. Nirav Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), U.S. President Compson (John Goodman), Emma Rockwell (Sandra Hüller), Kenny Rockwell (Jesse Plemons), Vice President Eddie (Michael Stuhlbarg), Lina (Emma D'Arcy), Amos (Burn Gorman), and Hannah (Sophie Wilde).

With Digger now out in theaters, one of Cruise's next movies is a sequel to 1990's Days of Thunder, featuring Anne Hathaway, directed by Jonathan Levine, and premiering theatrically on June 2, 2028. Between this new project and Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise continues to make legacy sequels, but as seen in his collaboration with Iñárritu, he continues to make original films as well.