"Digger," the R-rated black comedy starring Tom Cruise, earned just $3.4 million from 3,321 North American theaters on its opening Friday, signaling a likely box office failure. Directed by Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film follows Cruise as an oil tycoon behind an ecological disaster. Despite a high-profile promotional push that included a GQ cover, a "New Heights" podcast appearance, and a "Risky Business"-themed stunt on the "Jennifer Hudson Show," the film failed to attract audiences amid negative reviews and mixed word of mouth. Production costs ballooned from a $125 million budget to between $160 million and $180 million, making the projected $7.5 million domestic opening weekend even more damaging. Warner Bros. now faces significant losses, as studios typically split box office revenue with theater chains.
Meanwhile, Amazon MGM's "Verity," a psycho-thriller adapted from Colleen Hoover's novel, claimed the top spot with $15.1 million from 3,510 locations. The film, directed by Michael Showalter, stars Anne Hathaway as author Verity Crawford, who is left incapacitated after a car crash, prompting her husband (Josh Hartnett) to hire a struggling writer (Dakota Johnson) to complete her unfinished manuscripts. "Verity" is expected to gross $33.6 million domestically by the end of the weekend. It marks the fourth Hoover novel to be adapted for the big screen, following "It Ends With Us," "Regretting You," and "Reminders of Him."
Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil," a zombie horror film starring Austin Abrams, took second place with $3.62 million on Friday. The Sony release, set in Raccoon City General Hospital, is projected to reach $124.395 million domestically by Sunday.
Tom Cruise's star power failed to offset "Digger's" poor reception despite a costly, wide-ranging promotional campaign. The film's steep production budget and weak opening suggest Warner Bros. will absorb major losses during its theatrical run. With "Verity" outperforming it by more than four times on opening day, audience preference clearly favored the Hoover adaptation over the studio's high-budget gamble.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
