Tom Cruise film Digger could lose $245m at box office

What the report says

BBC World News reports that Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, is tracking toward a major box-office loss after a steep second-weekend decline. The film’s ticket sales fell by about 60% in its second weekend, bringing global receipts to roughly $35m so far, according to the report. Analysts cited by the broadcaster say the movie could end up losing about $245m, given its reported production and marketing costs of around $280m.

The film is a satirical black comedy directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, with Cruise playing an oil magnate named Digger Rockwell. BBC notes that the movie’s performance is especially striking because Cruise has recently had more dependable commercial success with franchise titles such as Top Gun and Mission: Impossible. Cruise has said he is not focused on opening-weekend results when making films, but on projects that can last and evolve.

The broadcaster says the weak showing puts Digger among the films that could become one of Hollywood’s biggest flops if the trend continues. It also cites Variety’s estimate that the film may finish around $50m worldwide, while a Warner Bros. spokesperson offered a somewhat lower break-even estimate. More broadly, the story reflects the risk studios face when expensive, non-franchise films underperform in theaters.