{
  "id": 12078806,
  "title": "Tom Cruise isn’t backing down on Digger despite weak box office start: ‘So proud of what we created'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/tom-cruise-isnt-backing-down-on-digger-despite-weak-box-office-start",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-05T04:39:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/tom-cruise-isnt-backing-down-on-digger-despite-weak-box-office-start-so-proud-of-what-we-created-1.500698446"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Alejandro G. Iñárritu's eco-satire Digger has received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office, yet its lead actor Tom Cruise remains proud of the film. The movie, which follows a self-obsessed oil magnate who creates an environmental disaster before claiming to be humanity's savior, has been met with a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that critics are evenly divided in their opinions.\n\nSupporters of the film praise the cast, with Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller receiving particular acclaim for their strong performances. On the other hand, detractors criticize the movie's tone and storytelling, arguing that it leaves viewers confused and never quite comes together.\n\nDespite the mixed critical response, Digger has only earned $8 million in its debut weekend in North America, where it was released in approximately 3,300 theaters. The film's budget of $125 million makes it challenging to turn a profit, as it would require a worldwide gross of around $300 million. Cruise's previous films led by him have struggled at the box office, with Lions for Lambs in 2007 being the last example to open with a similar low opening.\n\nThe competition also played a role in the film's weak performance, as it released the same day as Verity, a thriller starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, which earned $32.6 million. Other top performers included Resident Evil, Heart of the Beast, and Primetime.\n\nHowever, Cruise is not letting the poor opening discourage him. Over the weekend, he shared a set of photos from the production and a message of gratitude to everyone involved on Instagram. He described making the film as a privilege and credited the team's commitment and spirit, reaffirming his pride in the finished product. Despite the lukewarm response, Cruise's next project, Days of Thunder 2, is scheduled to start filming soon.",
  "summary": "Iñárritu's eco-satire has split critics down the middle and stumbled at the box office, yet its leading man is cheering it on. Ask ten people what they thought of Digger and you're likely to get ten very different answers. Alejandro G. Iñárritu's new film, with Tom Cruise as a self-obsessed oil magnate who sets off an environmental catastrophe and then casts himself as humanity's saviour, has…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CityNews",
        "title": "On cusp of merger, ‘Digger bombs for Warner Bros., ‘Verity’ takes No. 1 at box office",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/on-cusp-of-merger-digger-bombs-for-warner-bros-verity-takes-no-1-at",
        "published": "2026-10-04T16:41:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "On cusp of merger, ‘Digger bombs for Warner Bros., ‘Verity’ takes No. 1 at box office",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/on-cusp-of-merger-digger-bombs-for-warner-bros-verity-takes-no-1-at-11969321",
        "published": "2026-10-04T16:41:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Seeking Alpha News",
        "title": "‘Verity’ leads tepid box office weekend with $33M debut",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/verity-leads-tepid-box-office-weekend-with-33m-debut",
        "published": "2026-10-04T19:27:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Bookish thriller ‘Verity’ cleans up at US box office, Tom Cruise sinks with ‘Digger’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/bookish-thriller-verity-cleans-up-at-us-box-office-tom-cruise-sinks",
        "published": "2026-10-05T04:07:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}