Tom Cruise's big-budget satire 'Digger' has endured one of the worst openings of the star's career, earning an estimated $3.4 million on its first Friday in North America and heading for an opening weekend of around $7.5 million to $8 million.
The figures, reported by box-office trackers on October 3, put the Warner Bros. release — directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu — on course for Cruise's weakest domestic debut since 'Lions for Lambs' opened to $6 million in 2007.
A far cry from expectations
The opening is a fraction of what the film cost. The project reportedly began production with a budget of about $125 million, before costs climbed substantially, with Variety reporting that the final production budget landed between $160 million and $180 million, alongside a heavy marketing campaign. Cruise plays oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, whose company triggers an ecological disaster. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Huller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons co-star.
'Digger' earned its Friday total from 3,321 North American locations, including Thursday previews. Weekend estimates remained fluid as the weekend progressed, but trackers agreed the film would open well below the $12–15 million range Warner Bros. had been projecting — itself already downgraded from earlier third-party forecasts of $30 million.
'Verity' takes the weekend
Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway's 'Verity' dominated the box office, taking an estimated $15.1 million on Friday from 3,510 cinemas and heading for an opening weekend of $33–34 million. Based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel, the psychological thriller stars Hathaway as the titular author opposite Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett.
Sony's 'Resident Evil' held second place with roughly $3.62 million on Friday, while Brad Pitt's 'The Heart of the Beast' and A24's 'Primetime', starring Robert Pattinson, rounded out the top five.
Sources:
- The Express Tribune — "'Verity' dominates box office as Tom Cruise's 'Digger' struggles with $3.4 million opening day"
- Scott Mendelson — "Friday Box Office: 'Verity' Tops with $15M As 'Digger' Flops"
The figures, reported by box-office trackers on October 3, put the Warner Bros. release — directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu — on course for Cruise's weakest domestic debut since 'Lions for Lambs' opened to $6 million in 2007.
A far cry from expectations
The opening is a fraction of what the film cost. The project reportedly began production with a budget of about $125 million, before costs climbed substantially, with Variety reporting that the final production budget landed between $160 million and $180 million, alongside a heavy marketing campaign. Cruise plays oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, whose company triggers an ecological disaster. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Huller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons co-star.
'Digger' earned its Friday total from 3,321 North American locations, including Thursday previews. Weekend estimates remained fluid as the weekend progressed, but trackers agreed the film would open well below the $12–15 million range Warner Bros. had been projecting — itself already downgraded from earlier third-party forecasts of $30 million.
'Verity' takes the weekend
Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway's 'Verity' dominated the box office, taking an estimated $15.1 million on Friday from 3,510 cinemas and heading for an opening weekend of $33–34 million. Based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel, the psychological thriller stars Hathaway as the titular author opposite Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett.
Sony's 'Resident Evil' held second place with roughly $3.62 million on Friday, while Brad Pitt's 'The Heart of the Beast' and A24's 'Primetime', starring Robert Pattinson, rounded out the top five.
Sources:
- The Express Tribune — "'Verity' dominates box office as Tom Cruise's 'Digger' struggles with $3.4 million opening day"
- Scott Mendelson — "Friday Box Office: 'Verity' Tops with $15M As 'Digger' Flops"
