Tom Cruise suffers biggest movie loss as ‘Digger’ faces $250m hit

Tom Cruise is facing what could become the biggest box office loss of his career after his latest film, Digger, was projected to lose about $250 million.

The climate change satire, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, opened poorly at the box office despite costing more than $160 million to produce and receiving a major global marketing push.

TheWrap reported that the film earned just $8 million domestically and $21 million worldwide during its opening weekend.

Insiders at Skydance reportedly expect Digger to finish its theatrical run with less than $40 million globally.

Previous estimates had placed the movie’s potential loss at about $125 million, but that figure has reportedly doubled after its weak opening.

The film’s production budget has been put at between $163 million and $173 million, while its marketing campaign reportedly cost around $100 million.

Warner Bros. fully financed the project without outside financial partners, meaning the studio is heavily exposed to the losses.

A representative for Warner Bros. declined to comment.

Digger stars Cruise as a wealthy oil magnate whose wells trigger a global environmental catastrophe.

The actor underwent a dramatic transformation for the role, appearing as a balding, overweight billionaire living with a dying cat and surrounded by mounted animals.

The film received mixed reviews, with some critics describing it as confusing while others praised its unconventional humour and ambition.

The movie had initially been considered a major coup for Warner Bros. after the studio paired Cruise with Iñárritu, one of only a handful of filmmakers to win consecutive Best Director Oscars.

It also marked Cruise’s first film under a new agreement with Warner Bros. to develop original and franchise projects.

However, the star power that has driven Cruise’s action blockbusters failed to translate into strong ticket sales for Digger.

The projected $250 million loss would make it Cruise’s biggest financial setback and one of the largest losses recorded by a major Hollywood release in recent years.

Cruise is expected to return to more familiar territory with Days of Thunder 2, which is scheduled to begin production next year and will co-star Anne Hathaway.