Tom Cruise’s Digger spent $100 million in marketing, to lose $250 million

Tom Cruise's film, Digger, is on track to record a staggering $250 million loss, according to The Wrap. This makes it the biggest financial failure of Cruise's career, placing it among the largest single-film losses in recent Hollywood history. The company Skydance was left shocked upon inheriting the film's financials during their takeover of Warner Bros. operations under the new Skydance-Paramount structure.

Early projections had estimated a $125 million loss, but the actual figure, revised after a disastrous opening weekend, is now expected to be around double that. Digger's box office performance was dismal, opening to just $8 million in the US and $21 million globally. It is anticipated to gross a maximum of $40 million worldwide, representing only about 15% recovery of the total investment.

The production and marketing budgets for the film were approximately $173 million and $100 million respectively. The marketing costs were primarily due to Cruise's global press tour, a hallmark of his promotional appearances since the Mission: Impossible series. Unlike other Warner Bros. releases, Digger was solely financed by Warner Bros., meaning the studio is bearing the entire loss.

The film, a satirical drama starring Cruise as a wealthy oil tycoon, required the actor to undergo a significant physical transformation, marking a stark contrast to his usual portrayal. Despite Warner Bros.'s initial enthusiasm for the film, it is now seen as a costly mistake. Cruise's next project, Days of Thunder 2, is set to begin production next year under Paramount.