Tom Cruise’s Digger Splits Critics Ahead of Its October 2 Release, and Early Box Office Tracking Points to a Risky Debut
Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger had its royal world premiere in London on September 22, with Prince William and Princess Kate in attendance, and the first wave of critic reactions that followed could not be more divided. Tom Cruise stars as Digger Rockwell, an eccentric oil tycoon who becomes the most powerful man in the world and then has to stop the apocalypse his own drilling operation unleashed, in a film critics are calling everything from “a masterpiece” to a “hollow misfire.” Digger opens in theaters on October 2.
Critics Are Split Right Down the Middle
On one side, ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley called the film “a masterpiece” and named it his new top Best Picture contender, while Chicago broadcaster Jake Hamilton of Jake’s Takes named it his favorite film of 2026 and compared its tone to Stanley Kubrick and Black Mirror. IndieWire awards editor Anne Thompson landed in between, describing it as “a brave and gorgeous art film” that she expects will divide mainstream audiences but play well with the Academy.
On the other side, Uproxx’s Mike Ryan said the film is “kind of generally unpleasant,” and Next Best Picture’s Matt Neglia called it a “hollow misfire” despite praising Cruise’s performance as his most dynamic role in years. Even critics who liked Cruise’s commitment to the role, playing a wealthy Texan under heavy prosthetics and a thick accent, mostly agreed the film’s satire of power and climate catastrophe swings bigger than it lands.
Tom Cruise stars as oil tycoon Digger Rockwell in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger, in theaters October 2.
A Reported $125 Million Bet With a Shaky Box Office Forecast
Digger reunites Cruise with a starry supporting cast that includes Riz Ahmed as a scientist advising the White House, John Goodman as the U.S. President, Sandra Hüller as Digger’s half-sister and business partner, and Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons in key supporting roles. Legendary Pictures and Cruise’s own TC Productions financed the film for Warner Bros. Pictures, with reported budgets ranging from $125 million to $130 million, shot on VistaVision film and mastered for IMAX.
Early tracking put Digger’s domestic opening weekend at roughly $20 million, a soft number for a film of its size that would need well over $300 million worldwide to turn a profit. The mixed reception hasn’t scared off everyone, though: some trackers point to Cruise’s enduring streaming pull, led by Top Gun: Maverick’s continued dominance on Paramount+, as a reason the film could still outperform its cautious early estimates once it reaches theaters on October 2.
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Picture Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
