Warner Bros.’ "Digger" debuted to a disappointing $8 million at the domestic box office during the weekend of Oct. 4, 2026, marking one of the lowest opening figures of lead actor Tom Cruise's career. The film, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, added $12 million from 74 international markets. Amazon MGM’s "Verity" led North American theaters with a $32.6 million debut, while the Marvel re-release "Avengers: Endgame: Encore" earned enough to reclaim the title of highest-grossing film of all time from "Avatar."
The performance of "Digger" comes as Paramount Skydance prepares to close its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín approved the transaction on Wednesday, and Paramount has stated the deal is expected to close on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who oversaw "Digger," are expected to depart the company this week.
"Digger" cost at least $125 million to produce, with some reports citing a $150 million budget, plus an estimated $100 million in marketing. The film received a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a "C+" CinemaScore. In response to poor reviews, Warner Bros. utilized a "decide for yourself" advertising campaign. The studio previously found success in the same release window last year with "One Battle After Another," which earned $213.2 million and won the Academy Award for best picture.
Film consultant David A. Gross reported that new management, including David Ellison, Josh Greenstein, and Dana Goldberg, will soon decide the combined studio's future strategy. Gross suggested that the strategy of producing high-budget, auteur-driven films like "Digger" appears to be "over and out." Warner Bros. employees face anticipated mass layoffs as the merger closes. The studio has struggled domestically this year, failing to have a single film reach the $100 million mark prior to the upcoming December release of "Dune: Part III."
For moviegoers, the success of "Verity" reinforces the commercial viability of adaptations based on Colleen Hoover novels. Simultaneously, the record-breaking $2.9255 billion total for "Avengers: Endgame" demonstrates the continued market performance of established franchises.
Following the transition on Tuesday, the new leadership will determine the fate of current projects. Actor Tom Cruise, whose last major box-office disappointment was "The Mummy" in 2017, remains a top action hero known for franchises like "Mission: Impossible." Final domestic box office figures for the weekend are scheduled for release on Monday.