Warner Bros. has released a new advertisement for Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, which it has struggled to market. The advertisement contrasts praise from different countries with negative comments from the U.S. press. Following a brief dialogue between Digger Rockwell, played by Tom Cruise, and Riz Ahmed’s character, the comments of a Mexican YouTuber, who called the film “epic, extraordinary and barbed,” and a French critic, who described it as “a gem of intelligence,” are shown alongside The Playlist’s assessment that it is “grotesque, deliberately tasteless” and the New York Post’s view that it “has turned into a bad film unintentionally.”
Digger’s North American opening gross is estimated at approximately 8 million dollars. This fell short of expectations of 12 million to 15 million dollars and a budget of approximately 125 million dollars. Its positive review rate on Rotten Tomatoes is 51%, while its average score on AlloCiné is 3.2 out of 5. It received a C+ CinemaScore. 60% of the opening audience was aged 18-34, and more than 70% was male.
Cruise defended the film. According to Deadline sources, the production could suffer a loss of approximately 150 million dollars after grossing 50 million dollars. Fighting Legend, starring Dwayne Johnson, and Amsterdam experienced similar failures.
Why it matters
The campaign is placing the division in the film’s reception at the center of the advertising rather than concealing it; this choice makes the positive responses in different countries and the harsh reviews in the United States visible at the same time. However, the limited alignment between critic and audience metrics suggests that the marketing move is not merely a promotional choice but also an indication of how the film connects with its target audience. The opening, concentrated particularly among young and male viewers, reveals that the production failed to reach a broader audience while widening the gap between its high budget and low opening. The mention of similar box-office failures raises the question of whether the problem is limited to a single production; the unresolved issue is not whether the controversial advertising language will increase interest, but whether that interest will translate into ticket sales.