Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ is on course to become one of the biggest flops ever
Digger, the latest Tom Cruise movie, could become one of the biggest flops in Hollywood history, after it took just $8million across its opening weekend.
The satirical black comedy was co-written and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu – who is behind Oscar-winning films Birdman and The Revenant – and follows oil tycoon Digger Rockwell (Cruise) as he tries to save the lives of thousands from an environmental disaster that he’s behind.
After receiving some brutal reviews from critics, Digger landed in cinemas on Friday (October 2) where it has struggled. According to Variety, it took just $8million from 3,321 North American theatres over its opening weekend, and with a production budget estimated to be between $160million and $180million, it’s on course to become one of the biggest flops in movie history.
Following the poor reviews, Warner Bros. revised its goals for the film, and were reportedly hoping for at least $20million from Digger’s opening weekend. In a now-deleted tweet, one Digger advert suggested it was just American audiences who didn’t like Digger but the film has reportedly taken just $12million at the international box office, after being released in 73 international markets.
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“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,” analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Re told Variety. “The comedy walks a fine line, and when it misses, it misses.”
Defending Digger following the divisive reviews, Cruise told a movie screening audience that he has been “very successful” since he was a child: “OK, the door’s open. Now I want to push it again.”
“This film is handmade. People want to see real things,” he continued (via The Hollywood Reporter). “People want real things and they want real experiences. My hope is always that the films would do enough that I’d have that opportunity to do it again.
In a two-star NME review, Lou Thomas wrote: “True to form with Iñárritu’s work, the resulting collaboration [with Cruise] is a visually striking piece of cinema. Unfortunately, it’s also a rather messy one. Digger – while not irredeemably awful – is ultimately a big disappointment.”
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