John Goodman Says Critics ‘Killed’ ‘Digger’ Before It Ever Got a Chance, and the Reviews Clearly Left a Mark

Few big-budget releases this year have arrived with as much noise as ‘Digger‘. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s apocalyptic satire, with Tom Cruise as a reckless oil tycoon, was pitched as an awards-season event. John Goodman, who plays the film’s fictional U.S. president, now has his own view of what went wrong.

The film premiered in London on September 22, and the first reactions arrived almost at once. Critics split sharply, with some calling it a bold swing and others calling it baffling, unpleasant or a mess. Warner Bros. even cut a teaser that put the best and worst reviews side by side.

Goodman has now spoken about that pre-release buzz on the ‘Happy Sad Confused‘ podcast. He said the criticism hurt, and that it more or less sank the movie before it opened. He pointed in particular to headlines predicting a tiny opening, which he believes gave moviegoers an easy reason to skip it.

Goodman didn’t sound bitter so much as wounded. He said he is proud of ‘Digger’ and had a ball making it, describing the shoot as a good six months of his life. He called the film a huge swing and predicted it will be around for a long time.

He also admitted that, after decades as a working actor, he still cares what critics and audiences think. He tried not to let it get to him, but he conceded that he hears it. That candor gives the comments more weight than a standard studio defense of a flop.

The 74-year-old also framed the story as a wake-up call, for himself included, to be conscious of one’s place in the world. In the film he plays an authoritarian president with a god complex who leans on Cruise’s oil baron to dig the country out of a disaster.

The financial picture is rough. Reports put the production budget somewhere between $125 million and $180 million, with Variety describing it as north of $160 million. The film has grossed roughly $50 million worldwide, and Variety’s estimate is that it needed about $350 million just to break even in theaters.

Opening weekend figures vary by outlet. Most reports put the domestic debut at $8 million, with about $20 million globally, which was Cruise’s lowest opening since ‘Lions for Lambs’ in 2007. Variety’s own piece cites a higher domestic figure, so the exact number depends on which source you read.

The second weekend was worse. Ticket sales fell about 60%, to roughly $3.2 million in the U.S. and Canada, and projections at that point suggested a loss as high as $245 million. Warner Bros. reportedly entered the release already facing losses of $150 million to $200 million.

On Rotten Tomatoes, ‘Digger’ sits around 53%, a polarized score that reflects how divided the response has been. Supporters praised its visual ambition and Cruise’s commitment, with IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill calling it Cruise’s best performance since ‘Magnolia’. Detractors found it self-satisfied, with The Hollywood Reporter calling the pairing of Cruise and Iñárritu a showboating match in a shallow satire.

Even many critics who disliked the film praised its look and its performances. Goodman and Riz Ahmed drew regular mentions, and the production design and cinematography were widely admired. The argument was mostly about what the film was trying to say, and whether it said it effectively.

Goodman isn’t the only one defending it. Guillermo del Toro, a friend of Iñárritu’s, has called the film daring, bold and cinematically complex, saying it delivers in scale and ambition at a theatrical level. Cruise has also reportedly said he remains proud of what the team made.

First trailer for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s ‘DIGGER’, starring Tom Cruise. The film follows the most powerful CEO in the world who must save the world from a disaster that he created. In theaters on October 2. https://t.co/kJFhfgcStB

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 13, 2026

Goodman’s hope is that time will be kinder to the film than its opening was. Plenty of ambitious, divisive movies have found their audience years after release, and the film’s meta commentary on Cruise’s own career gives cult-classic potential. Some viewers online have already pushed back against the harsh critical consensus.

Still, a theatrical rebound looks unlikely given the grosses so far. The film’s best hope may be a long tail on streaming and home video, where word of mouth can build without the weight of opening-weekend headlines. For now, ‘Digger’ stands as a case study in how quickly pre-release narratives can harden around a movie.

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