Tom Cruise defends "Digger" – despite weak box office opening

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Tom Cruise defends "Digger" – despite weak box office opening.

When your own film barely gets off the launch pad on opening weekend, you might want to lay low. Not Tom Cruise. His new film "Digger" – a satirical black comedy from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu – hit theaters on Friday, October 2, 2026, and stalled at around eight million dollars in ticket sales on its first day, according to Deadline. Against a budget of over 125 million dollars, that's a rather small spark.

You know the feeling when you work toward a project for weeks and the result at the end isn't what you'd hoped for? That's exactly the situation the 64-year-old superstar is in now. Instead of retreating, Cruise is banging the publicity drum – in his very own way.

What the numbers reveal about "Digger"

According to Promiflash, citing Deadline, "Digger" earned just eight million dollars on its premiere day. The production, on the other hand, is said to have swallowed up more than 125 million dollars. The ratio between investment and return is therefore sobering from a Hollywood perspective. The industry follows a rule of thumb: a film needs to gross roughly double its production budget to break into the profit zone – marketing costs not even included.

Whether this can still be made up in the coming days through word of mouth and subsequent daily grosses remains to be seen. Star-driven films typically open strong and then drop off steeply – or, conversely, can build momentum when the reviews convince.

Cruise switches to Instagram mode

One day after the weak opening, Tom Cruise made his voice heard on Instagram – not with a crisis statement, but with several snapshots from the set. He also demonstratively threw his weight behind the project and celebrated what was created on set.

The experience was truly unforgettable, and I am so proud of what we created.

The message is clear: Cruise doesn't want the film to be seen as a failure, but rather to put the work on set and the creative result in the foreground. That's a classic promotional gesture Hollywood stars make when a project comes under pressure – and at the same time a signal to his team that the star is fully behind director Alejandro G. Iñárritu's work.

What you can take away from the "Digger" opening

A weak opening day is not yet a final verdict – but a clear warning signal. If you're curious as a viewer, it's worth looking at the early reviews and the second-week box office. Because especially with black comedies that strongly polarize, word of mouth can either build quickly or fizzle out completely.

One thing is already certain: Tom Cruise is not giving up. If you want to see the film, you have all the facts to decide whether to give it a chance – or wait for the home video release.