After mounting a cryptic and larger-than-life promotional campaign for one of the most curious films of the year, Tom Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger did not hit pay dirt during Thursday preview screenings. According to Deadline, Digger opened with a whimper after earning $1.2 million in previews. With such a dismal launch, Cruise’s new film, which finds him transformed into an eccentric and powerful oil tycoon, will be lucky to open north of $10 million in North American theaters. Critics remain divided on Digger, with many still trying to figure out how the movie makes them feel. Even JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray, who loves Cruise, was perplexed by the stunt-tastic superstar’s latest theatrical swing.
The lack of early traction is a genuine shocker given Cruise’s usual status as an absolute box-office cheat code. But the enigmatic marketing strategy may have ultimately backfired. While film buffs relish the mystery, casual moviegoers like knowing what they are buying a ticket for. The trailers framed Digger as a bizarre, unconventional comedy about an absurdly wealthy man saving the world—a narrative hook that might simply be falling flat in a culture thoroughly exhausted by real-life billionaire antics. While there is undoubtedly more nuance beneath the surface, general audiences rarely do homework before heading to the multiplex; they rely on clear premises and word of mouth, both of which are currently working against the film.
Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studio’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Verity is a mixed bag. While critics have raked the film over the coals (including our own Tyler Nichols), the author’s passionate fanbase is still showing up, delivering a solid $4.5 million opening salvo. That figure trails the preview night total for Hoover’s previous adaptation, It Ends With Us, which grossed $7 million out of the gate. Still, with heavyweight star power in Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett, Verity remains comfortably on track to cross the $30 million mark over the weekend.