Tom Cruise's Digger splits critics as box office worries grow

Tom Cruise's new film Digger reaches theatres on October 2, and the conversation around it is already loud. The satirical black comedy is directed by Oscar winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Cruise leads a strong ensemble that includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons.

The story follows the most powerful man in the world as he races against time. He has to prove he can save humanity before a catastrophe he himself set loose wipes everything out. Cruise plays the title role of Digger Rockwell, and the film runs 129 minutes.

Early reactions are sharply divided. The praise centres on the bold ambition, the striking set and production design, and the wide-angle, long-take camerawork of veteran cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. At least one review ranks Cruise's turn among the best of his career. Others found the film overloaded with ideas and messy, and some called it unbearable. Its critic score on a major review aggregator reportedly opened at 41 percent before rising to 51 percent. Reports say that makes it the lowest-rated film of Iñárritu's career.

The commercial outlook looks tough as well. Digger is reportedly tracking for a North American opening weekend below $15 million, against a production cost said to be around $125 million. Reports suggest Warner Bros. could be facing a loss of about $100 million. The studio has already had a difficult year, with Supergirl and The End of Oak Street failing to deliver.

The makers appear to be leaning into the debate. According to reports, a new ad opens with a viewer calling Digger an ambitious film sure to polarise audiences. It then cuts to Cruise's character bluntly brushing off his critics. The rest of the spot flips between opposite verdicts, setting words like unpleasant against masterpiece, baffling against brilliant, and insufferable against magnificent.

Whether that love it or hate it energy can pull audiences into theatres will become clear once the film opens this weekend.