Hollywood comes to the defense of Tom Cruise. Since its theatrical release on October 2, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest film has taken a beating from relentless criticism. Inspired by Blade Runner (1982)—renowned as one of the greatest science fiction films ever made—Digger marks one of the worst openings of the American actor’s career.
The situation is particularly dire given the film’s colossal budget, which totaled around $180 million. While box office sales would need to reach $350 million to make the blockbuster profitable, per Variety, they stood at only $35.3 million 10 days after its release. Now destined to be a loss, the film is on the verge of becoming one of the biggest flops in cinema history.
Politics and Manipulation
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, known for award-winning films like Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015), returns this year with a black comedy that is, to say the least, original. A satire of today’s world, Digger stars Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell—an oil tycoon as caricatured as he is eccentric.
When he learns that his drilling operation is about to trigger a deadly tsunami, he calls up the president of the United States to suppress information in an attempt to absolve both of them of any responsibility. This disaster scenario failed to win over moviegoers, who had been eagerly awaiting Cruise’s return to a nonfranchise film—his first since American Made in 2017.
“It was a big, brave risk”
On Hollywood stars’ social media feeds, messages of support are pouring in. In recent days, several posts praising the Mexican director’s work have been shared. On X, director Guillermo del Toro kept it simple yet effective: “Love the arts Fuck the charts.” On Letterboxd, Anne Hathaway—currently starring in the psychological thriller Verity— hailed the film as “smart and trippy and aggressive and funny and ambitious.” American actor Jane Fonda even dedicated an Instagram post to it: “It was a big, brave risk for him to take on this role and he was very good in it and very brave. He went all out, 100% owning the part.”
Cruise himself spoke out in an episode of the podcast On Film… With Kevin McCarthy that went viral: “I never thought of movies as, when I’m making them, going, Opening weekend, and I don’t feel that way about it. I feel very much like, We’re gonna do everything to make it as something that is a lasting piece of cinema.”
Originally published in Vanity Fair France.
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