The Tom Cruise-led movie “Digger” cratered at the box office this weekend, limping to a fifth-place finish with $8 million in the U.S. and Canada in its theatrical debut.
The Warner Bros. film was expected to do poorly after polarizing reviews from critics and a challenging marketing campaign. The film had a production budget of about $125 million. Worldwide, the film brought in just $20 million in its opening weekend.
Amazon MGM Studios’ “Verity,” starring Anne Hathaway, easily lapped “Digger,” coming in first at the domestic box office with a haul of $32.6 million. The film made $62.5 million worldwide.
The underwhelming performance from “Digger” marks a rare misfire from the usually bankable Cruise and adds to a difficult year for Warner Bros.’ film studio, whose lineup of movies this year has struggled to connect with audiences.
It also comes as Paramount Skydance’s $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is set to close Tuesday. As part of the merger, there have already been several management shakeups, including the exit of Warner Bros. film chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca.
The deal is expected to dramatically reshape Hollywood by combining two of the major studios, a move that is expected to lead to massive layoffs. Paramount has already told Wall Street that it’s planning $6 billion in cost cuts.
“Digger” is the result of nine years of work, as director Alejandro González Iñárritu started on the project before the pandemic. The film is a satire about an impending climate change apocalypse that’s triggered by the drilling operations of oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, played by Cruise, who looks nearly unrecognizable clad in prosthetics and greying hair.
In a post-screening, on-stage discussion last week, Cruise noted the carefully handcrafted props and sets.
“Everything is practical,” he said. “It was so beautiful, and I just have to say … AI can’t do that.”
Sony Pictures’ “Resident Evil” came in second at the box office this weekend with $12.5 million in its third weekend in theaters. Paramount’s “Heart of the Beast” ($11 million) and A24’s “Primetime” ($8 million) ranked third and fourth.
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