Tom Cruise film 'Digger' opens to about $20m worldwide ahead of Warner Bros merger

Warner Bros' film "Digger", starring Tom Cruise and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, grossed about $20m worldwide in its opening weekend, according to the Guardian and Euronews. About $8m of that came from North America; Euronews describes that figure as "in the US". The reports do not name the origin of the figures or say whether they are estimates or final totals.

The Guardian and AP describe the opening as one of the worst debuts of Cruise's career. Euronews calls it one of his biggest box office flops. The film had been positioned as an awards-season contender.

Warner Bros' marketing spend is estimated at about $100m. The Guardian calls this an estimate and Euronews attributes it to "the trades"; neither names the origin of the figure.

The opening comes as Paramount Skydance is about to complete its $110bn acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. The reports say the deal received US district court approval "last Wednesday".

What is reported

• According to the Guardian, the film took $12m from 74 international markets and received a "C+" CinemaScore from audiences.
• The Guardian reports that critics were mostly negative, though Cruise's performance was received more warmly.
• The Guardian's headline puts the possible loss at about $150m. Euronews, citing "early indicators", gives a range of $150m to $200m. These are projections, and neither outlet names who made them.
• Euronews calculates that the film needs about $300m to break even.
• According to the Guardian, Amazon MGM's "Verity" led the North American box office with $32.6m.
• The Guardian reports that no Warner Bros film has reached $100m in the US in 2026.
• The Guardian says mass layoffs are anticipated after the merger closes. It does not say who anticipates them.

What is disputed

The production budget is unclear. The Guardian says the film cost at least $125m and that unspecified reports put it closer to $150m. Euronews says the budget was up to $180m. None of these figures is attributed to a named source.

The merger's closing date also differs between the reports. The Guardian, publishing on Sunday 4 October, said Paramount would close the merger on Tuesday. Euronews, publishing on Monday 5 October, said the acquisition was "set to close next week".

What each side says

The Guardian quoted film consultant David A Gross, who publishes a box office newsletter, as writing that "Digger" "collapsed" and that the combined company's new management will soon decide what kind of films it wants from Warner Bros. "Paramount does not have a recent history of making big, auteur-driven films like this – that strategy appears to be over and out," the Guardian quoted him as writing.

According to the Guardian, Paramount said it would close the merger on Tuesday.

The reports do not include any statement from Warner Bros, Paramount Skydance, Cruise or Iñárritu about the film's performance.

Analysis

The weak opening arrives at a sensitive moment for Warner Bros, days before a change of ownership. One scenario is that the incoming management treats the result as a reason to reduce spending on large, director-led films. Another is that it weighs a single release less heavily than the wider slate, which includes "Dune: Part III" in December. The reports describe no decisions by the new leadership, so both remain possibilities. The size of any loss is also uncertain, because the budget figures conflict and the loss projections are unattributed. Later box office weeks and the merger's actual closing would give a firmer basis for assessment.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.