Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu, known for his Oscar-winning works like Birdman and The Revenant, made his return to English-language cinema with Digger, a dark comedy featuring Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise. The film casts Cruise in an unexpected, heavily transformed role as an eccentric oil magnate grappling with a climate catastrophe he helped create. Despite a promising premise and a stellar supporting cast including Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, and Jesse Plemons, Digger has faced significant hurdles since its release.
The film has been met with a sharply divided critical reception and, more notably, a dismal commercial performance. According to a report from Ecran Large, Iñárritu was not caught off guard by the controversy. In an interview with The New York Times, the director articulated his stance, stating, "I prefer a divisive reception to a lukewarm reception." He acknowledged that Digger is not a "perfect" film but emphasized his commitment to taking risks. "I think it's clearly an atypical film. A film that provokes. For me, that's the role of cinema: to launch the conversation," Iñárritu explained. He added, "It's not vanilla ice cream. So yes, to be honest, we expected it."
This unapologetic embrace of divisiveness comes at a steep price. Digger was produced on a substantial budget, estimated between $125 million and $180 million, with an additional marketing spend reportedly around $100 million, according to Variety. Such figures place it in blockbuster territory. However, more than a week after its release, the film has only managed to gross approximately $25 million worldwide. This stands in stark contrast to Iñárritu's previous English-language successes: Birdman earned $103 million globally, and The Revenant soared to $532 million. The current trajectory makes Digger a significant financial disappointment for Warner Bros.
Despite the commercial struggles and critical debate, there's a glimmer of awards season hope for Tom Cruise. His transformative performance in Digger could potentially garner attention from the Academy, known for favoring such dramatic shifts. However, competition in the Best Actor category is expected to be fierce, with names like Robert Pattinson (Primetime), Timothée Chalamet (Dune 3), and Matt Damon (L'Odyssée) also in the running. The first indications of Oscar contention will arrive with the nominations announcement on January 21st. While Iñárritu remains confident in his film's long-term impact, hoping it might one day achieve cult status, the immediate financial outlook for Digger is undoubtedly grim.
John Goodman in Digger
A beautiful landscape to wake up to in the morning (from The Revenant)