Tom Cruise's Digger tracking to lose $245 million

Tom Cruise and Alejandro González Iñárritu's Digger is tracking to lose $245 million in cinemas, Variety reported on 11 October 2026. Takings are expected to finish at about $50 million globally.

The start was soft. Digger opened to $8 million domestically, the United States and Canada, and $20 million worldwide, Variety reported, then fell 60% in its second weekend.

After that second weekend, totals stood at $14.4 million domestically and $35.3 million globally, according to Variety. For the three days of 9 to 11 October, the film took an estimated $3.2 million from 3,321 theatres, Yahoo reported, studio estimates until Monday's actuals confirm the number. Deadline had projected a slightly steeper 64% second-weekend drop.

Warner Bros. first approved Digger at $125 million, Variety reported, but the budget rose to between $160 million and $180 million after production ran over schedule. The studio then spent a further $100 million on marketing around the world.

Cinemas keep about half of each ticket, so a film must earn roughly twice its costs to break even. On that maths, Digger would need about $350 million globally, Variety calculated, though a Warner Bros. spokesperson put the break-even point at $300 million.

Cruise also has a deal that pays him a share of revenue before Warner Bros. recovers its costs, Variety reported. In industry terms that is first-dollar gross, a cut of ticket money paid before the studio gets its spending back.

Earlier estimates were lower. The New York Times reported a likely loss of at least $125 million, while Deadline and IndieWire pointed to about $150 million. The Times also described Digger as Warner Bros.' last release before its merger.

What makes this stand out is the ledger. A $125 million approval became a $260 million to $280 million outlay once the overrun and marketing are added, while the split with theatre owners and an early payout to its star narrowed the path back.