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Tom Cruise has been called the last real movie star.
But even his considerable clout wasn’t sufficient to convince the general public to plunk down their cash for an experimental dark satire film that’s currently sitting at 51% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Yes, as many predicted, Cruise’s Digger was not exactly a juggernaut at the box office this weekend.
The Alejandro Iñarritu-directed comedy marked the first time in several years that Cruise turned away from his usual franchise fare in favor of a more artistic project.
And the mixed reviews and dismal box office will likely have Tom running back to the cockpit for another Top Gun sequel.
According to Deadline, Digger is on pace to lose $150 million for Warner Bros.
The movie earned just $8 million in 3,000 theaters against a reported $160 million budget.
Add in another $40 million for marketing, and Digger will lose $150 million only if it eventually earns $50 million globally — which is far from guaranteed.
The film was thoroughly trounced at the box office by Anne Hathaway’s Verity, which drew in a solid $32 million (and which hopefully won’t lead to a never-ending parade of lawsuits, like previous Colleen Hoover adaptations).
The bad news comes at a crucial time for Warner, which is currently in the throes of major merger drama and will officially be absorbed by Skydance (formerly Paramount) on Tuesday.
So we guess David Ellison and company dodged any direct involvement with a project that’s already being called the bomb of the year.
But the top brass probably would’ve preferred to ride a wave of positive press ahead of closing day.
Fortunately, everyone involved is fabulously wealthy and therefore immune from anything resembling real consequences.
As for Cruise, it’s anyone’s guess what lies ahead for the 62-year-old.
There have been reports that he’s planning to co-star with Taylor Swift in an “age gap rom-com,” but that rumor seems to be a product of the internet hive mind.
Following the Digger disaster, Tom will probably retreat to more familiar territory. In other words, expect the announcement of Mission Impossible 17 any day now.
