Well, “Digger” just dug a hole in Warner Bros.’ bottom line.
When it was announced, it seemed like a slam dunk. After nearly 20 years of making action movies, Tom Cruise would return to capital-A Acting in a satirical film by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, whose won best director at the Oscars for both of his most recent English-language films, “Birdman” (2014) and “The Revenant” (2015). Additionally, “Birdman” took home best picture and grossed $42,340,598 domestically (more than $100 million worldwide), while “The Revenant” earned lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio his Oscar and grossed $184,247,394 domestically (more than $500 million worldwide).
“Digger” opened this weekend to $8 million across some 3,000-plus locations in the United States and only $12 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. With a production budget well north of $100 million and a seven-figure marketing budget, the movie is on track to potentially lose $150 million.
It is Cruise’s worst opening weekend box office take since 2007’s “Lion for Lambs.”
And all on the eve of Paramount Skydance acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, Warner Bros. released — and appears to have since deleted — an ad for the movie that juxtaposed terrible reviews from American critics with glowing ones from the international press, according to the Hollywood Reporter and the Independent.
It showed Cruise’s Digger character saying, “America has stood beside the world in its darkest of hours.”
Riz Ahmed’s character replies: “Not anymore.”
We can’t speak for the world, but America certainly didn’t stand beside Cruise this weekend.
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