Ben Affleck has defended Tom Cruise’s critically divisive new film Digger, warning the public celebration of its box office failure risks discouraging Hollywood studios from taking creative chances and could leave audiences facing a succession of “s***** homogenized movies”.
The 54-year-old actor and director, best known for Good Will Hunting, Argo and his portrayal of Batman in the DC superhero films, spoke out after Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 63, reportedly suffered substantial financial losses following its release on 2 October.
The film stars Tom, 64, as an oil tycoon confronting a global catastrophe after a malfunction at one of his Antarctic drilling rigs threatens Europe, and has attracted sharply divided reviews despite its high-profile cast and substantial production budget.
Ben said: “It’s a little bit like the high-school bullying thing, with people who hadn’t even seen movies. You see it happening now, frankly, with Digger.”
He added: “Everybody wants to celebrate this bomb as if it’s the most exciting thing to happen. And you think like, it’s a pretty ambitious, interesting movie made by interesting people who have talent.”
The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who has experienced commercial disappointments during his own career, questioned the industry’s growing emphasis on financial performance as a measure of artistic achievement.
He said: “Everybody wants to count the money, what it lost or whatever. To me, I just think, if you punish movies that take risks, guess what you’re going to get? A bunch of s***** homogenized movies.”
He added: “You cannot do something interesting without taking a big swing. And that means you’re going to sometimes look bad.”
According to figures cited in the original report, Digger earned approximately $15 million at the North American box office after opening on 2 October, against a production budget exceeding $160 million and a reported marketing expenditure of $100 million.
The film received a 53 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, reflecting a divided critical response to Alejandro’s latest project.
A report attributed to Variety estimated the film could cost Warner Bros. approximately $245 million, potentially placing it among the studio’s most expensive commercial disappointments.
The reported financial performance represents an unusual setback for Tom, whose decades-long career has included some of Hollywood’s biggest commercial successes.
He is particularly associated with the Mission: Impossible franchise, in which he plays secret agent Ethan Hunt, and the Top Gun films, including the hugely successful Top Gun: Maverick.
His career has also included starring roles in Rain Man, Jerry Maguire, A Few Good Men and Eyes Wide Shut.
Ben’s intervention follows a series of public endorsements of the film from prominent actors, musicians and filmmakers, including Neil Young, 80, Mandy Patinkin, 73, and Anne Hathaway, 43.
Neil, whose career includes albums such as Harvest and After the Gold Rush, praised the film on his official website, describing it as an exceptional cinematic achievement.
He wrote: “Digger is the best film I have ever seen.”
Neil added: “None of the reviews I have read describe this film adequately, in my opinion. They seem to miss the overall effect and most of them are negative.”
The singer also wrote: “I do not view this film as a commercial venture. Rather it is an artful film of our times.”
Mandy, best known for his roles in Homeland, The Princess Bride and Chicago Hope, was similarly enthusiastic about the film.
He described it as an “instant classic” and “one of the greatest pieces of film I have ever seen in my entire life”.
Mandy added: “This is an incredible piece of work. It puts the heart and soul back into the cinema. Everything we all love about cinema, this is it. Please, please, please, run! Don’t walk, run, and see this film.”
Anne, whose credits include The Devil Wears Prada, Les Misérables and The Dark Knight Rises, also praised the production in a review published on Letterboxd.
She wrote: “I loved this brilliant movie. It’s smart and trippy and aggressive and funny and ambitious.”
Anne added: “It’s worth making the time see and decide for yourself what you make of it. For me? 10/10.”
The film has also attracted support from director Guillermo del Toro, 62, and actor Jane Fonda, 88, who have praised its ambitious approach to filmmaking and its treatment of environmental issues.
Meanwhile, Ben has been promoting his latest directorial project, Animals, amid reports of tensions involving senior executives at Netflix, which is backing the film.
His comments defending Digger were made during an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he also reflected on his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, and the criticism he has faced throughout his career.