Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, is off to a modest start at the box office. The movie earned $1.2 million domestically from Thursday previews, according to studio estimates. Industry projections suggest an opening weekend between $12 million and $15 million, which would place it well behind the weekend’s leader, Verity.
The film, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and reportedly budgeted at $125 million, is playing in more than 3,300 North American locations. Digger centers on Cruise’s character, an oil tycoon dealing with the consequences of causing a natural disaster. The cast also includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, and Sandra Hüller.
Critical reception has been lukewarm. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 52% approval rating. David Rooney from The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film “ultimately just prompts a worn-down shrug.”
The release comes amid leadership changes at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group. Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy are exiting the studio following Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros., expected to be finalized on October 6. Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are set to oversee the film division for both studios. De Luca and Abdy had previously found success with several films, including notable Oscar wins in 2025, but more recently faced high-profile failures like The Bride! and Supergirl.
Meanwhile, Verity, a $40 million adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel directed by Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, took in $4.5 million in Thursday previews. The film is expected to open between $27 million and $30 million across 3,510 North American theaters. The previews total marks the second-best start for a Hoover adaptation, behind It Ends With Us. Reminders of Him grossed $1.9 million in previews during its release. Verity holds a 39% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Richard Lawson from The Hollywood Reporter commenting that the movie “careens.”