Tom Cruise's New Movie 'Digger' Flops at the Box Office

Tom Cruise's new movie "Digger" had a rough start at the box office this weekend. The film earned just $8 million in the United States and Canada during its first weekend in theaters. That was only good enough for fifth place, far behind the weekend's top movies. Many people in the film industry were already expecting "Digger" to struggle.

Warner Bros. made "Digger" at a cost of about $125 million, which is a very large budget for a movie. Critics gave it mixed and divided reviews, which made it harder to attract audiences. Around the world, the film brought in only $20 million during its opening weekend, a disappointing number for such an expensive production.

The weekend's biggest winner was "Verity," a film starring Anne Hathaway and released by Amazon MGM Studios. "Verity" came in first place with $32.6 million earned in the U.S. and Canada alone. Worldwide, it made $62.5 million, showing a strong connection with audiences everywhere. Sony Pictures' "Resident Evil" finished second with $12.5 million, followed by "Heart of the Beast" ($11 million) in third and "Primetime" ($8 million) in fourth.

The poor showing for "Digger" is unusual for Tom Cruise, who is known for making movies that perform very well at the box office. It also adds to a tough year for Warner Bros., whose films have had a hard time finding fans. On top of that, a huge business deal is about to change things at Warner Bros. The media company Paramount Skydance is buying Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal worth $111 billion, which is set to close very soon.

As part of that merger, several top leaders at Warner Bros. have already left their jobs, including the heads of its film division. The combined company is expected to cut about $6 billion in costs, which could lead to many workers losing their jobs. Big changes like these can affect which movies get made and how studios operate going forward.

"Digger" took nine years to make, starting long before the COVID-19 pandemic. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu created the film as a satire, meaning it uses humor and exaggeration to comment on serious real-world issues. The story is about a fictional oil tycoon named Digger Rockwell, played by Cruise, whose drilling operations help trigger a climate change disaster. Cruise wore heavy prosthetics and gray hair for the role, making him look almost unrecognizable on screen.

After a special screening last week, Cruise spoke on stage about how the film was made. He praised the handcrafted props and sets used during production, noting that real, physical objects were used rather than computer effects. He said, "Everything is practical. It was so beautiful, and I just have to say ... AI can't do that." His comments sparked conversation about the role of artificial intelligence in Hollywood filmmaking.