Tom Cruise’s Digger Crashes At Box Office With His Lowest Opening In 19 Years

Tom Cruise’s latest film is facing a rough start at the box office. Despite the star power behind it, Digger is heading toward the actor’s weakest North American opening in nearly two decades.

The Alejandro González Iñárritu-directed film has struggled to attract audiences after receiving mixed and negative reviews. Current trade estimates suggest Digger could finish its opening weekend in North America at around $8 million.

Digger earned around $3.4 million on its opening day in the US and Canada. The result put it well behind Anne Hathaway’s Verity, which opened with more than $15 million.

The weak start is particularly notable because Tom Cruise remains one of Hollywood’s biggest theatrical stars. His previous film, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, opened to about $79 million domestically.

Digger is also facing a major gap between its reported production cost and its early box-office returns. The film was made for more than $125 million, making the projected opening especially disappointing.

The film has also struggled overseas. Its India opening was reportedly only around ₹65 lakh net, a sharp contrast with the strong reception Cruise’s action films have traditionally received in the country.

If Digger finishes near the current $8 million estimate, it will mark Tom Cruise’s lowest opening weekend in North America since Lions for Lambs in 2007. That film opened with around $6.7 million, although its much smaller reported budget made the comparison less damaging.

Digger’s reception has added to its box-office problems. Critics have praised Cruise’s committed performance and the film’s ambitious visuals, but several reviews have criticised its tone, storytelling and unusual structure.

The film follows Digger Rockwell, a wealthy oil tycoon whose actions contribute to an environmental catastrophe. Cruise plays the larger-than-life businessman in Iñárritu’s dark satire, alongside Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller and John Goodman.

Despite the disappointing commercial start, Cruise’s performance has emerged as one of the film’s more positively discussed elements. The actor is also being linked to a potential awards-season push, although Digger’s overall reception could make that campaign challenging.