Warner Bros.’ latest cinematic gamble, the Alejandro G. Iñárritu-directed “Digger,” faced a difficult debut this weekend, posting a disappointing $8 million in domestic box office revenue. The film, which cost between $125 million and $150 million to produce with an additional $100 million marketing budget, marks a rough start for the studio as it nears its transition into the Paramount Skydance acquisition. The film, directed by Michael Showalter, stars Dakota Johnson as a writer hired to ghostwrite a book series by an incapacitated author (Anne Hathaway). Iñárritu’s critically panned satire grossed a paltry $8 million domestically. It’s a painfully rough start for a movie that cost at least $125 million to make. Reports have pegged the production budget closer to $150 million.
While “Digger” failed to gain traction, Amazon MGM’s “Verity,” an adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel, secured the top spot at the North American box office with a $32.6 million opening. Warner Bros., which had previously promoted the film with “decide for yourself” advertising following poor early reviews, saw its ambitious project receive a “C+” CinemaScore from audiences. 1 in North American theaters instead went to Amazon MGM’s “Verity,” extending the streak for Colleen Hoover adaptations at the box office.
For star Tom Cruise, the performance of “Digger” represents one of the most challenging openings of his career. Despite the critical response and the film’s status as a politically charged, big-budget auteur project, it failed to meet the financial benchmarks set by previous Warner Bros. titles like last year’s “One Battle After Another.” But all eyes were on how “Digger,” one of the year’s biggest gambles, would perform. But international sales, $12 million from 74 markets, were also weak, cruise is typically a big draw overseas. “Digger” had been positioned as a potential awards-season heavyweight, dated almost exactly the same as Warner Bros.’ “One Battle After Another” was last year. “Digger” is a similarly politically charged release that handed a large budget to a top filmmaker working from an original story.
Recent Legal and Official Updates
- Christa Pike: Unconscious and currently on a ventilator following a botched execution attempt, according to her legal counsel.
- FlyDubai Incident: Officials confirmed the suspect was previously flagged as a security risk.
- Cornell University Case: The district attorney has reopened the investigation into an alleged sexual assault incident at the campus.
The studio’s internal leadership is also in flux, with co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy expected to step down this week as the $110 billion merger with Paramount moves toward its final Tuesday closing. Observers suggest that the incoming management, including David Ellison, Josh Greenstein, and Dana Goldberg, may shift away from the big-budget, auteur-driven strategy favored by the outgoing team.
Elsewhere in the industry, “Avengers: Endgame: Encore” dropped to seventh place with $4.4 million, though its re-release helped it narrowly reclaim the record for the highest-grossing film of all time with a total of $2.9255 billion. Meanwhile, “Resident Evil” held the second position for the weekend.
Estimated ticket sales for North American theaters from Friday through Sunday are as follows
- “Verity”: $32.6 million
- “Resident Evil”: $12.5 million
- “Heart of the Beast”: $11 million
- “Primetime”: $8 million
- “Digger”: $8 million
- “Forgotten Island”: $7.2 million
