Digger makes a weak start at US cinemas
The new film by Tom Cruise and Alejandro González Iñárritu is so far falling short of expectations.
The film Digger, starring Tom Cruise, has made a weak start at US cinemas. The film took approximately 3.4 million dollars on its first Friday, including previews, and the takings for the opening weekend are estimated at around 8 million dollars.
Digger opened in the United States on 2 October in more than 3,300 cinemas. According to The Numbers, it took approximately 3.4 million dollars on Friday, of which 1.2 million came from previews. The figures are provisional box-office data.
The film is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, known for films including Birdman and The Revenant. Cruise plays a powerful man trying to avert the consequences of a disaster he caused. Warner Bros. is releasing the film in cinemas and IMAX.
According to the initial estimates, the North American opening takings will come to around 8 million dollars. That would give Digger the lowest opening takings for a film starring Cruise since Lions for Lambs in 2007. This is a comparison of takings, not a judgement on the film’s artistic quality.
The film reportedly has a production budget of approximately 125 million dollars, excluding marketing. A weak first week does not automatically mean that a film makes a loss: international takings, a longer theatrical run, streaming rights and sales to television broadcasters can affect the eventual result.
Digger is an original film and not a sequel to an existing franchise. That makes the disappointing start relevant to Warner Bros. and to the wider cinema market, in which major studios often seek certainty in familiar characters and series.
Digger opened in the Netherlands on 1 October. The coming weeks will show whether the film performs better outside the United States and whether word of mouth can still improve the American figures. On Sunday morning, it is still too early to reach a definitive judgement on the financial outcome.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The film, release date and provisional takings have been checked. The original characterisation as a definitive flop has been softened to a weak start, because the eventual financial outcome has not yet been established.
- confirmed Digger was released in the United States on 2 October. — Listed on Warner Bros.’ official film website. source
- confirmed The film took approximately 3.4 million dollars on Friday, including previews. — Provisional daily figures from The Numbers. source
- confirmed The opening takings are estimated at approximately 8 million dollars. — The estimate is described as a provisional forecast by TV Insider. source
- confirmed The film has a production budget of approximately 125 million dollars. — Mentioned in reporting on the opening estimate; the figure is not an official studio statement in the source consulted. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Digger is a flop at US cinemas.Now: Digger is making a weak start at US cinemas. (The available figures are provisional opening estimates and do not yet prove a definitive loss.)
Editor's note
The Friday takings and opening estimate are provisional box-office figures. The text does not call the film a definitive flop or loss, because international takings and later revenue are still unknown.Sources
- Digger — Warner Bros. Pictures
- Daily Domestic Box Office: Friday, October 2, 2026 — The Numbers
- ‘Digger’ Box Office Disappoints in Tom Cruise Film’s Opening Weekend — TV Insider
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „digger tom cruise”
- Trouw — „digger tom cruise”
- NRC — „digger tom cruise”