Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Gets Pulled From Thousands of Theaters After a Brutal Box Office Collapse
Tom Cruise has spent years as one of the few movie stars audiences could count on to fill a theater. His action films became events, and his name alone has been enough to sell tickets. That made his latest gamble, a strange and ambitious satire, one of the most intriguing releases of the fall.
‘Digger‘ reunites Cruise with director Alejandro González Iñárritu in a 128-minute R-rated satire. Cruise plays oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, and the cast includes Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons and Sophie Wilde. Warner Bros. released it on Oct. 2, and the film carried a certain awards buzz at the outset.
Now the film is vanishing from screens at an alarming rate. Exhibitors are taking ‘Digger’ out of 2,535 theaters ahead of this weekend, a rare move for a major studio release only 2 weeks into its run. It is one of the clearest signs yet that theater owners are no longer willing to wait for audiences to come around.
Panic mode among exhibitors, digging out of their theatres any evidence that #DIGGER was once a wide release at US #BoxOffice. #AlejandroGIñarritu’s dark comedy starring #TomCruise is losing shocking -2.535 theatres on FRI #10 BIGGEST Theatre count loss (Top10 below) of ALL TIME in a single weekend. #DIGGER joins the disasters: #TheRhythmSection -3.049 #CryMacho -2.780 #ABigBoldBeautifulJourney -2.721 #TheManySaintsofNewark -2.679 #TheDarkestMinds -2.679 #ACureforWellness -2.616 #AFRAID -2.597 #TheBride! -2.596 #Copshop -2580 #DIGGER -2.535
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 15, 2026
The film opened in 3,321 North American theaters and will now play in only 786 venues, a cut of roughly 76%. That is reportedly the 10th biggest theater count loss ever for a single weekend. In many of the remaining locations, the movie will have just 1 or 2 showtimes per day.
Studio releases usually get about a 28-day run, so the speed of the pullback is striking. By the end of next week, there may not be much left. The drop also follows a quick exit from IMAX screens after just 1 week, where the film made way for the return of ‘The Odyssey.’
The trouble began on opening weekend. ‘Digger’ earned $8 million domestically and $12 million overseas for a $20 million global start, good enough for only fifth place. That was Cruise’s lowest debut as a leading man since ‘Lions for Lambs’ in 2007.
According to Variety, the studio had hoped the combination of Cruise and Iñárritu would propel initial grosses to $18 million to $20 million. Box office experts said a movie of this size would have needed a debut near $40 million to justify its price tag. Meanwhile, ‘Verity’ topped the weekend with $32.6 million.
The slide continued in the second frame, when ticket sales fell 60% to $3.2 million and the film dropped to eighth place. The domestic total reached about $14.4 million, with a global tally of $35.3 million. As of Oct. 13, the film had banked $15.6 million domestically and $22.1 million overseas, for a $37.7 million worldwide total.
This weekend, ‘Digger’ is projected to earn around $1 million. That is less than ‘The Odyssey,’ which is 92 days into its release and playing in only 560 theaters. The contrast illustrates just how far the new film has fallen.
The numbers are especially painful given the cost. The budget is reported at $160 million to $180 million, with roughly $100 million more spent on marketing. Variety’s sources have the film tracking to lose $245 million over its theatrical run, and it is projected to finish near $50 million worldwide.
Some reports have pegged the break-even point at about $350 million, though a Warner Bros. spokesperson reportedly denied that figure. Either way, the film is on course to be one of the biggest flops of the year and possibly of all time. The studio is also said to be bracing for a larger write-down.
Digg. Or Die. DIGGER. Only in theaters October 2. https://t.co/jDCOyl8bXU
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) July 13, 2026
Warner Bros. tried to turn the tide with a “Decide for Yourself” campaign, and a long list of famous friends championed the movie online. Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Mandy Patinkin, Jane Fonda, Guillermo del Toro, Glen Powell, Michael Mann and Ron Howard all spoke up in its favor. It was not enough, as the film earned a C+ CinemaScore and holds a 51% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The awards talk that once surrounded Cruise’s performance has also cooled amid the underwhelming reception. For an actor who has been a reliable draw, the result is a humbling moment. Cruise has reportedly said he does not make films with opening weekends in mind, which may be the only comfort he has right now.
Even high-profile risks can end in a stumble. Pairing a global star with a celebrated director and a weighty budget did not guarantee an audience, especially for a satirical story that asked viewers to meet it halfway. It is a reminder that originality and star power only go so far without word of mouth.
For Cruise, the setback will likely not change his standing as one of cinema’s biggest stars. For exhibitors, the decision to pull the film signals that patience has limits. The coming weeks will show how much of the movie is left in theaters at all.
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