Tom Cruise isn’t letting a box office nightmare steal his spotlight, even as his latest movie struggles to bring audiences into theaters.
The actor’s comedy-drama Digger, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, has reportedly collected just $8 million domestically and $12 million internationally across 74 territories following its October 2, 2026, release.
That’s a rough start for a movie carrying a reported $160 million production budget and another $100 million in marketing costs.
In other words, the numbers are doing anything but digging the film out of trouble.
Tom Cruise’s take on the Box Office flop
While the disappointing figures have raised questions about the film’s commercial prospects, Cruise isn’t treating opening weekend as the final verdict.
Speaking on the podcast On Film With Kevin McCarthy, the 64-year-old reflected on how dramatically the movie business has changed since his early career.
“So many things happen when you open a movie. I was fortunate to release movies in the 80s and 90s, when movies would stay in the theater for a year,” Cruise explained, pointing to films like Rain Man and Born on the Fourth of July.
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His point? Movies once had considerably more time to find their audience, rather than being judged almost immediately by their opening numbers.
In Digger, Cruise plays wealthy oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, whose drilling project sets off an environmental catastrophe. The cast also includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller and Jesse Plemons.
The film marks a notable departure from Cruise’s action-heavy blockbuster formula, although that gamble hasn’t translated into a strong opening so far.
Critics have questioned the film’s ambitious messaging, while supporters have praised the actor for taking on an unconventional role.
Whether positive word-of-mouth can rescue the film remains to be seen. For now, Cruise is betting on a lesson Hollywood sometimes forgets: a movie’s opening weekend isn’t necessarily its whole story.
