Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, could become one of 2026’s biggest box office disappointments. The film had a disappointing opening weekend and received mixed reviews from critics.
The film premiered in London in September. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an ultra-wealthy oil tycoon. His oil extraction activities in Greenland and Alaska accidentally trigger an ecological disaster.
Cruise also produced the film. Its official synopsis describes it as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions”.
Jesse Plemons, who stars alongside Cruise, also praised the unusual story. He called Digger “one of the strangest, funniest, most tragic scripts I’ve read”.
However, critics have shared mixed opinions about the film. Some praised Cruise’s performance, while others strongly criticised the production.
Low rating on Rotten Tomatoes
One critic from The New York Times sharply criticised the film. The reviewer called Digger a “lumbering white elephant of a movie that almost makes you feel sorry for everyone involved”.
Audiences have also shown mixed reactions. The film currently holds a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The review website describes Digger as a bold satire. However, its consensus suggests that the film’s ambitious style does not always deliver the intended humour.
The mixed reception has also raised questions about the film’s box office performance.
Digger has earned $9 million in the United States and Canada. It has collected another $12 million in international markets. These figures bring its worldwide total to $21 million.
Lacklustre figures
Previously, Variety predicted that due to its large production budget, the film would need to gross between $300m and $350m just to break even.
These lacklustre figures, compared against the film’s initial budget of $125m, have led to the film being branded one of 2026’s biggest box office bombs.
It also marks the lowest opening for a Tom Cruise film since 2007’s Lions for Lambs, which received widespread negative reviews.
In a bold move, Warner Bros., the studio behind the project, have chosen to embrace the publicity that the bad press has generated around the film.
Social media advert
In a recent advert shared on social media, Cruise appears in character as Digger Rockwell once again, looking at the film’s negative reviews and responding with “You know what, f*** those people.”
The caption on the advert reads “You decide,” seemingly encouraging audiences to watch the film themselves before rejecting it completely.
In a post shared on Instagram in early October, Cruise himself seemed unfazed by the film’s box office failure.
He praised the cast and crew for their dedication and hard work, and said that he was “honoured” to have worked on the project.
“The experience was truly unforgettable and I’m so proud of what we created,” he added.
In a podcast interview with Kevin McCarthy published the same day that Digger opened in theatres, Cruise asserted that he does not consider the opening weekend when making films, instead hoping to make a “lasting piece of cinema” rather than focusing on commercial success.
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