Tom Cruise’s Digger Flops, But Reacher Thrives on Prime Video

Cruise’s Satire Fails, But His Reacher Series Lives On Streaming

Tom Cruise’s satire Digger flops hard at the box office—but his Reacher series thrives on Prime Video.

By The Long Shot12 Oct 20262 min read

Current hype level54

Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, has stumbled out of the gate with a worldwide opening weekend gross of just $20 million — far below expectations and a stark contrast to the box office dominance he’s enjoyed for decades. The satirical black comedy, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu in his first English-language project since 2015’s The Revenant, was intended as a bold pivot from the action franchises that have defined Cruise’s post-2017 career.

After concluding his run as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in 2025, the actor sought an Academy Award-caliber role through this standalone film. But the response has been lukewarm at best. Critics have panned it, and theaters are already pulling it from screens. Trade sources cited by Collider suggest Warner Bros.

Could lose up to $250 million on the project, compounding a turbulent year for the studio amid restructuring. Yet, despite the theatrical failure, Cruise’s streaming footprint remains strong. His action sequel Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, which followed the 2023 adaptation of Lee Child’s character, has re-entered Prime Video’s top six most-watched movies in the US.

The film, a follow-up to his collaboration with Christopher McQuarrie, had previously drawn backlash from fans of the source material, though it still managed a quiet success at the box office, $60 million budget, $160 million worldwide, with $59 million earned domestically and $101 million overseas. That momentum hasn’t faded.

Alan Ritchson’s version of Reacher, now in its fourth season, concluded with a high-octane finale. A new spin-off, Neagley, starring Maria Sten (Swamp Thing), has also launched, further boosting the franchise’s presence on the platform. Meanwhile, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third installment in the heist trilogy, currently tops Prime Video’s charts.

So while Digger struggles to find an audience, the Reacher universe continues to thrive. Proof that in today’s entertainment landscape, one flop doesn’t erase a legacy. What comes next? The next Reacher season is set for January release.

That’s the real countdown.