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Tom Cruise’s Digger Set for Historic Hollywood Flop

The black‑comedy starring Tom Cruise could lose over $245m, putting it in the ranks of the biggest flop of all time.

Source: bbc.co.uk1 min read
Tom Cruise’s Digger Set for Historic Hollywood Flop
Image via bbc.co.uk

In brief

Hollywood analysts predict Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, will lose around $245 million, a figure that could rank it among the biggest box‑office failures in history. The satirical black comedy has already grossed just $35 million worldwide against a combined production and marketing bill of roughly $280 million. Ticket sales fell 60% in its second weekend, and Warner Bros estimates the film will need about $300‑$350 million to break even. Digger’s poor showing stands in stark contrast to Cruise’s successful recent franchises such as Top Gun and Mission: Impossible.

Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, is on track to become one of Hollywood’s biggest flops. Analysts say the satirical black comedy could lose around $245 million, a loss giant compared to the film’s $280 million combined production and marketing expense.

Ticket sales for the movie dropped some 60% in its second weekend, bringing the global total to roughly $35 million (about £26 million). By comparison, Warner Bros needs an estimated $300‑$350 million to break even, factoring in the studio’s share, theatre cuts and anticipated award‑season spend.

If the numbers hold, Digger would join the ranks of historic flops like 1995’s Cutthroat Island and 2012’s John Carter, all of which lost more than $100 million. Other projects with nine‑figure losses include La Mese Mars Needs Moms, Amsterdam and The Marvels.

The failure stands in sharp contrast to Cruise’s recent blockbuster successes, including the new Top Gun and Mission: Impossible instalments. Variety projected a final worldwide take of roughly $50 million for Digger.

While Warner Bros was reportedly the studio’s last standalone release before its merger with Paramount, Digger’s poor performance has prompted the company to launch a fresh marketing push, urging audiences to “decide for yourself.”

Related headline: Prince and Princess of Wales share a laugh with Tom Cruise at film premiere

Earlier this week, the sequel to The Social Network, The Social Reckoning starring Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White, also underperformed. It earned just $5.5 million in its opening weekend in the U.S., a drop from the $22 million opening of the original, and a global total of about $9 million.

The film also struggled to compete in the U.S. box‑office chart, where it was eclipsed by horror flick Other Mommy, thriller Verity, the video‐game adaptaton Resident Evil and Brad Pitt’s wilderness drama Heart of the Beast.

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