The Tom Cruise-led and Alejandro Inarritu-directed dark satire”Digger” is reportedly heading for a disastrous box-office opening this weekend.
Before the film screened this past week, “Digger” was projected to be targeting a concerning $18-20 million domestic debut – not good for a film that was greenlit at a budget of $125 million.
Cruise has been out there promoting the film hard, which you would assume would drive up awareness. Even if it did, actual interest in seeing the film is falling, as Variety reports that tracking now suggests an opening of just $12-15 million.
In addition, the trade says the production budget is much higher than has been let on, and has come in closer to $160-180 million after production went over schedule. The studio also reportedly spent a further $100 million on marketing.
Execs with knowledge of similar films suggest the film has to earn roughly $350 million globally to break even, but a Warner spokesman disputes both that figure and the budget surge claim. They tell the trade the film’s break-even point is $300 million.
While the film deals with a powerful oil tycoon whose company sparks an ecological calamity, a lot of what the film is really about is being kept under wraps, which has made it a tricky film to market. Reviews have painted the film as divisive and decidedly not a crowd pleaser.
Either way, the film could end up being the year’s biggest studio film bomb, and another sore spot for Warners following the fizzling out of “Supergirl” and “The Bride” in cinemas.
