Tom Cruise’s latest, Digger, has landed with a thud — though not the kind that signals failure. The film, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Cruise as an aging oil tycoon whose actions spark global chaos, is already being called a cinematic disaster by critics. Box office forecasts are grim: a $130 million production expected to pull in under $10 million this weekend. It’s been yanked from IMAX screens meant for The Odyssey, which will reclaim them soon. Studios don’t pivot campaigns to highlight negative reviews unless they’re desperate. Yet here it is, WB’s new ‘badge of honour’ strategy, turning scorn into a selling point. That’s not just bold. It’s weirdly defiant. And maybe that’s the point. Guillermo del Toro, who once called The Devils a misunderstood masterpiece, has stepped in to defend it. He called out the vitriol. Especially an IGN headline urging audiences not to see it, as petty. ‘Love it or not,’ he said. ‘And yes, I do.’ He praised the film’s scale, ambition, and theatricality. He even linked its reception to the re-release of Russell’s controversial 1971 film, suggesting a pattern: when art challenges narrative comfort, it gets attacked. One critic gave it a 7/10, calling Cruise’s performance ‘absolutely brilliant’ despite a narrative twist that fell flat at the 45-minute mark. So is it bad? Or is it too much? Too loud? Too much like a man trying to scream through a collapsing world? The internet isn’t sure. Some say it feels AI-generated. Others call it a dream reaching for Alpha Centauri. A few still think it’s the only movie that matters right now. But one thing’s clear: no one’s ignoring it. And that’s more than most films get.