Warner Bros. Pictures is concluding its 103-year history as a standalone studio on a somber financial note. Its final theatrical release, the Alejandro G. Iñárritu-directed drama Digger, earned an estimated $20 million globally in its opening weekend, marking the lowest debut for lead star Tom Cruise in nearly two decades.
The film brought in approximately $8 million domestically and $12 million from international markets. This performance represents Cruise’s weakest global opening since the 2007 release of Lions for Lambs. While Cruise has dominated the box office in recent years with high-octane action franchises, Digger features the actor in a transformative, non-action role as an oil tycoon, a creative pivot that failed to capture his usual broad audience.
The timing of the film’s struggle carries significant corporate weight. The Paramount-Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is officially scheduled to close on October 6, 2026. As the final title to be released under the current Warner Bros. banner before the merger is finalized, Digger serves as a symbolic end to the studio’s century-long run as an independent power in Hollywood.
High Stakes and Soft Reception
The financial outlook for Digger is particularly strained given its significant production costs. While the studio has claimed a budget of roughly $125 million, industry reports suggest the actual production costs may have ballooned to $180 million.
The film faced stiff competition and mixed critical reception during its debut. Amazon MGM’s Verity took the top spot at the box office, earning $32.6 million—more than quadruple the domestic haul of Digger. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Digger holds a critics’ score of approximately 51%, a lukewarm reception that has likely hindered its ability to attract adult audiences interested in prestige drama.
Management Transitions
The film’s performance coincides with a period of major internal upheaval.
The box office results for Digger highlight the risks associated with big-budget, star-driven dramatic satires in the current theatrical landscape. While the film was positioned as a prestige risk similar to other recent auteur-driven projects, its inability to break through suggests that even the bankability of a star like Cruise cannot always overcome a divisive critical consensus or the shifting priorities of a studio in the midst of a historic corporate transition.
