Tom Cruise may be one of Hollywood’s most reliable blockbuster stars, but Digger has provided a reminder that even his name cannot guarantee a big opening.
The Alejandro G. Iñárritu-directed black comedy opened with just $8 million from approximately 3,300 theaters across North America, a disappointing result for an ambitious production carrying a reported $125 million budget. The movie earned another $12 million internationally, putting its worldwide opening at approximately $20 million.
The domestic performance was particularly painful because Warner Bros. had already entered the weekend with relatively restrained expectations of between $12 million and $15 million. Digger failed to reach even that range.
The debut also ranks as Cruise’s weakest domestic opening since Lions for Lambs arrived with $6.7 million in 2007. That film, however, was made on a considerably smaller budget.
Digger represents an unusual turn for Cruise after years dominated by large-scale action productions. He plays an oil tycoon who discovers that his actions have caused a natural disaster, undergoing a significant physical transformation for the role.
The project appeared designed as both a creative swing and a possible awards contender, but its early reception could make that path considerably more difficult.
Audiences handed the movie a C+ CinemaScore, while its Rotten Tomatoes critics rating stood at 51 percent. Those mixed reactions arrived after earlier box-office tracking had suggested the film might open much higher. At one point, estimates reportedly approached $30 million before interest declined sharply ahead of release.
Cruise, however, has continued to stand behind the project, publicly expressing pride in what the filmmakers created.
While Digger struggled, Verity had much more to celebrate.
Amazon MGM Studios’ adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel opened at No. 1 with $32.6 million from 3,510 North American theaters. Directed by Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, the thriller cost a reported $40 million to produce.
Its audience was overwhelmingly female, accounting for 78 percent of ticket buyers. Moviegoers between the ages of 25 and 34 represented 38 percent of the opening crowd.
The commercial performance came despite a chilly critical reception. Verity also received a C+ CinemaScore, while its Rotten Tomatoes critics rating stood at 34 percent.
Elsewhere at the box office, Resident Evil continued its successful run with $12.5 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to approximately $124.8 million. Heart of the Beast followed with $11 million during its second weekend, pushing its North American total to an estimated $38.3 million.
A24’s Primetime collected another $8 million in its second weekend for a domestic total of roughly $34 million, leaving it in a close battle with Digger for fourth place.
Despite Cruise’s disappointing debut, the broader theatrical marketplace remained in solid shape. The weekend was expected to generate around $100 million domestically, approximately 16 percent ahead of the comparable weekend a year earlier.
The 2026 domestic box office was also expected to reach approximately $7.95 billion by Sunday, putting the year about 19 percent ahead of the same stage in 2025.
For Cruise, Digger may ultimately be remembered as an expensive attempt to move outside the blockbuster lane that has defined much of his recent career. He will not stay outside that lane for long. Days of Thunder 2 is preparing to move into production, putting the star back behind the wheel of the kind of action-driven franchise filmmaking audiences have come to expect from him.
