Tom Cruise’s Digger earned $1.2 million from domestic Thursday previews as the ambitious satire began its theatrical run during a major transition at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.
The film is opening this weekend in more than 3,300 North American locations. Warner Bros. is projecting a domestic debut between $12 million and $15 million for the Alejandro G. Iñárritu-directed production, which carries a $125 million budget.
That forecast gives Digger a challenging road ahead, particularly for a movie positioned as a significant creative gamble for both its studio and star. The release moves Cruise away from the action franchises associated with his recent work and toward the kind of filmmaker-led projects seen earlier in his career, including Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July and Magnolia.
Cruise plays an audacious oil tycoon dealing with the fallout after starting a natural disaster. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller also star.
An Awards Bet Meets Divided Reviews
Warner Bros. views Digger as an awards contender and is hoping audience word of mouth will give the film staying power beyond its opening weekend. Critics, however, have delivered a mixed early response. The movie holds a 52 percent approval rating among Rotten Tomatoes reviewers.
Critic David Rooney offered a particularly muted assessment, writing that the film “ultimately just prompts a worn-down shrug.”
The release also arrives at a consequential moment for the studio. Warner Bros. film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy are exiting ahead of Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros., which is likely to be finalized Oct. 6.
Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are expected to oversee the film operations of both studios following the merger.
De Luca and Abdy’s 2025 included Oscar victories for titles such as One Battle After Another and Sinners. This year’s studio conversation, however, has been shaped by prominent disappointments including The Bride! and Supergirl.
Verity Takes the Early Box Office Lead
While Digger faces pressure to build momentum, Amazon MGM Studios’ Verity appears positioned to claim the weekend’s top spot. The thriller brought in $4.5 million from Thursday previews and opens Friday in 3,510 North American theaters.
Amazon MGM Studios expects an opening between $27 million and $30 million. Directed by Michael Showalter, Verity has a $40 million production budget and stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett.
The movie adapts Colleen Hoover’s novel about struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, played by Johnson, who accepts work as a ghostwriter for acclaimed author Verity Crawford, played by Hathaway.
Its $4.5 million preview result is the second-highest for a feature adaptation of a Hoover book. Sony’s 2024 release It Ends With Us remains ahead with $7 million in previews before posting a $50 million domestic opening weekend.
Last year, Universal’s adaptation of Hoover’s Reminders of Him collected $1.9 million during previews and went on to open with $17.9 million domestically.
Despite its stronger commercial start, Verity has encountered harsher reviews than Digger. The thriller holds a 39 percent Rotten Tomatoes score. Critic Richard Lawson wrote that the movie “careens off a cliff, plummeting past so-bad-it’s-good and crashing on the rocks of agonizingly dumb.”
What Happens Next?
The full weekend results will show whether Digger can reach Warner Bros.’ projected range and begin building the sustained audience response the studio wants. Its performance will unfold as the company prepares for an expected leadership overhaul tied to the Paramount Skydance merger.
Verity, meanwhile, enters the weekend with the larger preview total and the higher opening projection, putting the thriller in the strongest early position for the box office crown.