Warner Bros.’ “Digger” opened to an underwhelming $8 million at the domestic box office over the Oct. 2 weekend. Despite the star power of Tom Cruise, in his first film since “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” and the vision of Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the dark comedy quickly became one of the year’s biggest flops, handing Cruise one of the worst debuts of his career. Now, after a 60% drop in its second weekend, the film is tracking to lose an estimated $245 million in its theatrical run, according to Variety, putting it in contention for one of the costliest bombs on record.
A ballooning budget and a $350 million break-even
The movie, which stars Cruise as an aging oil tycoon whose drilling sets off an environmental catastrophe, was greenlit at a reported $125 million. But production costs climbed to between $160 million and $180 million after filming ran over schedule, according to Variety. Add a global marketing campaign estimated at roughly $100 million—much of it built around Cruise—and the roughly half of ticket sales that theaters keep, and “Digger” needs to gross about $350 million worldwide to break even, Variety reports. A Warner Bros. spokesperson told the outlet the break-even point is closer to $300 million.
The film is faring little better overseas, where Cruise, usually one of Hollywood’s most reliable draws, typically shines. “Digger” earned $12 million internationally in its opening weekend, for a $20 million global debut. Through its second weekend, it has grossed $14.4 million domestically and $35.3 million worldwide—roughly a tenth of Variety’s break-even estimate—and is projected to finish its run at around $50 million globally.
Joining Hollywood’s most infamous bombs
Because movie budgets are closely guarded and film financing is complex, ranking the biggest box office bombs of all time is an inexact science. Still, a $245 million loss would put “Digger” alongside—or ahead of—notorious flops like “John Carter,” “The Marvels,” “Cutthroat Island” and “The Lone Ranger,” each estimated to have lost around $200 million. (Those figures vary widely by source and aren’t inflation-adjusted.)
Unlike those franchise plays and family films, however, “Digger” was never pitched as a movie for the masses. Its offbeat tone, meta structure and arthouse sensibility made it a hard sell at blockbuster scale. Even with Cruise attached, its fate always hinged on reviews and word of mouth.
Divided critics and a ‘decide for yourself’ campaign
Neither came through. Critics were sharply split—the film debuted at a 52% score on Rotten Tomatoes—and opening-night audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore, a grade that typically signals weak word of mouth.
Warner Bros. tried to get ahead of the bad press. About an hour before the review embargo lifted, the studio released an ad juxtaposing glowing and scathing reactions—“Masterpiece” next to “Unpleasant,” “Brilliant” next to “Baffling”—urging moviegoers to “decide for yourself.” Since the film opened, Hollywood figures including Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda, Guillermo del Toro and Mandy Patinkin have championed it on social media. So far, none of it has moved the needle at the box office.
A bitter farewell for Warner Bros. as a standalone studio
It’s a grim coda for Warner Bros. “Digger” was the studio’s final release before Paramount Skydance closed its roughly $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on Oct. 6, folding the 103-year-old studio into a combined company now called Skydance. Just a year ago, Warner Bros. was on a historic hot streak, with originals like “Sinners” and “Weapons” becoming breakout hits and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” emerging as an awards-season heavyweight. But 2026 has been a long, painful goodbye, with a string of costly disappointments, including “The Bride” and “Supergirl,” leading up to “Digger.”
The saga recalls Michael Cimino’s “Heaven’s Gate,” the 1980 Western whose budget swelled from about $11 million to $44 million. The film grossed roughly $3.5 million, and the fallout led United Artists’ corporate owner to sell the studio to MGM. Adjusted for inflation, that budget lands in the same neighborhood as Digger’s—but even Hollywood’s most famous cautionary tale never came close to the $245 million hole Warner Bros. is now bracing for.
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