Matthew Belloni is reporting that Tom Cruise’s “Digger,” the Alejandro G. Iñárritu film from Warner Bros., has opened on NRG tracking at about $20M domestic, which isn’t good. I actually find that number optimistic. Tickets for “Digger” go on sale next Tuesday, and presales will give us a better picture of how bad it’s looking.
The budget for the film is getting the usual lowballing from Warner, with its reps saying $130M, though some, like Belloni and Page Six, claim it might actually be over $180M.
Of course, the most common comparison is “One Battle After Another,” which opened to around $22M but went on to sweep the Oscars. “One Battle” was widely praised, while we’re not entirely sure what kind of reception “Digger” will get, with its trailers already dividing audiences.
The marketing has been odd. Many people still have no idea what the film is actually about beyond Cruise in heavy old-age prosthetics. Are audiences meant to root for Cruise’s character?
All that said, as avid movie fans, we can’t help but anticipate this one, and kudos to Cruise for taking a real artistic risk here. This was always meant as an awards play, with money earned slowly over time rather than on opening weekend. I just hope that if it flops, it doesn’t push Cruise back into safe sequels, and yes, “Days of Thunder 2” and “Top Gun 3” are already in the works.
“Digger” has Cruise front and center in the lead role. The rest of the ensemble includes Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sophie Wilde, and Emma D’Arcy. It hits theaters on October 2.
I actually find that number optimistic. Tickets for “Digger” go on sale next Tuesday, and presales will give us a better picture of how bad it’s looking.