Tom Cruise’s latest film has stumbled at the box office, delivering a much weaker opening than industry analysts and studio executives expected. The drama Digger earned only $8 million during its first weekend in North America, creating a disappointing start for one of the year’s most talked-about releases.
The movie opened in roughly 3,300 theaters across the United States and Canada. Warner Bros. had projected an opening between $12 million and $15 million, while earlier industry tracking suggested the film could reach as much as $30 million before interest softened in the days leading up to release.
The result marks one of the weakest openings of Cruise’s career and raises concerns about the film’s financial future.
International audiences added another $12 million, bringing the worldwide opening total to approximately $20 million. However, that figure remains modest considering the film’s reported production budget.
Warner Bros. has stated that the movie cost around $125 million to produce. Some reports suggested the final budget may have been considerably higher, although studio representatives have challenged those claims.
Industry observers now expect the film to face a difficult challenge in recovering its costs through theatrical revenue alone.
Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Digger was designed as a dramatic departure from the action-driven roles that have defined much of Cruise’s recent career.
In the film, Cruise portrays a powerful oil executive whose actions contribute to a devastating natural disaster. The actor underwent a significant physical transformation for the role, appearing with a different look that included a balding hairstyle and a heavier appearance.
The project was widely viewed as an ambitious effort aimed at attracting awards recognition and critical discussion. Instead, it has generated mixed reactions from both audiences and reviewers.
Moviegoers awarded the film a C+ CinemaScore, placing it among the lowest audience ratings of Cruise’s career. Critical opinion has also been divided, with the film holding a nearly even split between positive and negative reviews.
The combination of weak ticket sales and mixed reviews has created uncertainty about whether the movie can build momentum in the coming weeks.
Despite the disappointing launch, Cruise publicly supported the film during its opening weekend. The actor shared a message expressing pride in the work completed by the cast and crew.
While Digger struggled, another adaptation found much stronger success at theaters.
Amazon MGM Studios’ Verity debuted at number one with $32.6 million in domestic ticket sales. The thriller is based on the bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover and stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett.
Produced for about $40 million, the film attracted a large audience during its first weekend. Women accounted for the majority of ticket buyers, and young adults represented a significant share of attendance.
The opening places Verity among the stronger literary adaptations released in recent years. Although it did not reach the level achieved by It Ends With Us, it performed better than several other recent adaptations of Hoover’s work.
However, strong ticket sales did not translate into strong reviews. The film received a C+ CinemaScore from audiences and faced criticism from many reviewers.
The weekend also brought continued success for several holdover releases.
Sony’s Resident Evil remained a strong performer during its third weekend. The film earned another $12.5 million and increased its domestic total to nearly $125 million.
Paramount’s Heart of the Beast, starring Brad Pitt, added $11 million in its second weekend. The survival thriller has now collected more than $38 million in North America.
A24’s Primetime also maintained steady results. The film earned $8 million during its second weekend and lifted its domestic total to approximately $34 million.
Overall, the North American box office delivered encouraging results despite the struggles of Digger. Weekend revenue approached $100 million, representing a healthy increase compared with the same period a year ago.
The broader market has continued to show growth throughout 2026, with total domestic revenue running ahead of last year’s pace.
For Warner Bros., however, attention remains focused on Digger. What was expected to be a prestige project and potential awards contender has instead opened as one of the year’s biggest theatrical disappointments. The coming weeks will determine whether positive word of mouth can improve its fortunes or whether the film will become one of the industry’s most notable box office setbacks of 2026.
