The $125 million Alejandro González Iñárritu film finished fifth domestically as Warner Bros Discovery heads into a $111 billion merger with Paramount Skydance.
Eight million dollars. That's what Tom Cruise's new film managed on its opening weekend in the US and Canada, good enough for fifth place and, by most measures, a flop.
"Digger" cost Warner Bros around $125 million to make. It pulled in just $20 million worldwide across its opening frame, a number that all but guarantees the studio eats a significant loss on the release. Reviews were split going in, the marketing campaign struggled to find a hook, and none of that got fixed by the time the film actually hit screens.
The timing couldn't be worse for Warner Bros. Paramount Skydance's $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery is set to close Tuesday, and the studio has already seen its film chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca walk out the door after four years running the place. Paramount has told Wall Street it's chasing $6 billion in cost cuts post-merger. More layoffs are widely expected once the ink dries.
What makes the miss sting more is the pedigree behind it. Alejandro González Iñárritu has been developing "Digger" for nine years, since before the pandemic. It's a satire about a climate apocalypse set off by the drilling operations of an oil tycoon named Digger Rockwell, played by Cruise under heavy prosthetics and a head of grey hair that makes him almost unrecognisable. At a post-screening event last week, Cruise talked up the film's commitment to practical effects over anything digital. "Everything is practical," he said. "It was so beautiful, and I just have to say... AI can't do that." Online, reactions to the film itself have ranged from bemused to outright dismissive, with some viewers calling it closer to AI slop than anything handcrafted, and others reaching for Jodorowsky comparisons that aren't exactly flattering.
Meanwhile, Amazon MGM's "Verity," led by Anne Hathaway, cleaned up. It opened at number one with $32.6 million domestically and $62.5 million worldwide, more than tripling what "Digger" managed at home. Sony's "Resident Evil" held at number two in its third week out with $12.5 million. Paramount's own "Heart of the Beast" took third with $11 million, and A24's "Primetime" edged just ahead of "Digger" for fourth with the same $8 million gross.
The bigger worry for Warner Bros is the pattern. The studio's domestic total for the year sits at $437.7 million, roughly 5.6% of total theatrical revenue in the US and Canada. A year ago at this point it had crossed $1.8 billion, riding hits like "Sinners" and "Weapons." Nothing the studio has released in 2026 cracks the domestic top 20. Emerald Fennell's "Wuthering Heights" is the closest at number 21 with $84 million. "The Bride!" and DC's "Supergirl" both underperformed as well.
So Warner Bros walks into its new corporate life this week with a director's passion project bleeding money, no top-tier hit to point to all year, and a merger that's already cost two film chiefs their jobs. Whoever runs the combined studio from Tuesday inherits that mess first.
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