Guillermo del Toro has come to the defense of Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, following its disappointing box office debut. The Oscar-winning filmmaker called a headline criticizing the movie’s theatrical experience “petty” and praised the film’s scale and ambition.
Guillermo del Toro defends Tom Cruise’s Digger after its disappointing $20 million global opening
Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, opened worldwide to an estimated $20 million over its first three days, according to Entertainment Weekly. The film reportedly cost between $160 million and $180 million to make, making the opening a major disappointment for a project that had once generated Oscar buzz, particularly for Cruise’s role as an oil tycoon.
Del Toro addressed the backlash on social media on October 1. He responded to a headline that read, “The theater experience won’t change your mind on Digger, and the laughs that are there still will be when it hits HBO Max.”
Calling the headline “Entirely Petty,” del Toro made it clear that he disagreed with its assessment of the film. “Love it or not. And, yes, I do,” he wrote.
He then praised what Digger offers on the big screen. “The film delivers in scale, ambition and reach at a theatrical screen level,” del Toro said. He also described it as “Daring, bold and Cinematically complex” and called it “Decidedly a Theatrical experience.”
The film’s box office performance, however, has fallen well short of expectations. Digger earned roughly $8 million domestically during its opening weekend, marking Cruise’s weakest opening in 19 years. It placed fifth at the domestic box office behind Verity, Resident Evil, Heart of the Beast and Primetime.
Internationally, the film’s first three days brought its worldwide total to around $20 million. According to Variety‘s estimate, industry executives believed Digger would need to earn roughly $350 million globally to break even, while a Warner Bros. spokesperson put the break-even figure at around $300 million. Either way, the film faces a difficult path to profitability based on its early performance.
The film had already received mixed reactions after its September 22 world premiere in London. Despite the criticism, del Toro’s support highlights his belief that the movie deserves to be experienced in theaters.
