Tom Cruise shrugs at Digger's $8M start: 'I'm not going, Opening weekend!'

Tom Cruise has brushed aside opening-weekend talk after Digger started with $8 million in North America.

The satirical comedy directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, released by Warner Bros. in more than 3,000 theatres, earned $20 million around the world in its debut, in figures reported on 6 October 2026 Variety. North America here means domestic, the United States and Canada.

The numbers are stark. The film cost between $160 million and $180 million to make, plus another $100 million for marketing — the print-and-advertising spend that puts a film into cinemas — according to the same report Variety. It would need about $350 million at the worldwide box office to break even, and was reported to be facing a theatrical shortfall of at least $150 million to $200 million.

Cruise addressed the start in an interview on the On Film With Kevin McCarthy podcast, published on the same day the film opened in theatres. "When I am making [movies], I'm not going, 'Opening weekend!'" he said. "I feel very much like we're going to make something that is a lasting piece of cinema."

He added that "that is 'Digger,' it's one of those movies" that can translate and last and evolve. During the weekend he also posted on social media to say it was an honour to make the film and to thank the cast and crew.

In the film Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon confronting the end of the world after one of his rigs in Antarctica malfunctions. The part was billed as his first non-action role in nearly a decade, a shift from the stunts and missions that have defined his recent run.

What makes this stand out is the scale of the miss relative to the star. The $8 million domestic start, from a release of more than 3,000 theatres reported by People, handed Cruise one of the weakest debuts of his career, as noted by Fortune. The film was also Warner Bros.' last release before its merger, reported by The New York Times.