Tom Cruise is going to need a smaller shovel.
Digger has given Tom Cruise a disappointing verdict from opening-night audiences. Academy Award nominee Alejandro González Iñárritu’s dark comedy earned a C+ CinemaScore. That has added to the pressure on an expensive original film that already faced soft box-office expectations. This is saying something, especially for someone who is often referred to as the last movie star. His name is supposed to get people into theaters.
The grade is also unusually low by Cruise’s own standards. Digger is tied for the fifth-lowest CinemaScore of his career (along with 1986’s Legend) and has his lowest result in the past decade. Interestingly, it has the same CinemaScore as Verity, the Colleen Hoover adaptation that also released this week.
The movie has also divided critics, earning 52% on Tomatometer, as of October 3. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a billionaire and powerful man trying to save humanity from a catastrophe he caused. Where many have praised Cruise and the rest of the cast’s performance, it was sadly not enough for critics.
According to The Numbers, Digger collected $1.2 million from October 1 previews against its $125 million production budget. The movie was produced for as much as $180 million, where Cruise served as producer to help make the ambitious original production possible. But his name cannot guarantee that audiences will embrace the finished movie.
However, not all hope is lost. It is likely that Tom Cruise will receive an Academy Award nomination for his role due to his performance. But it’s safe to say that Digger might not receive a Best Picture nomination.
