Tom Cruise’s new film Digger has taken $1.2 million (£?) from preview screenings in North America, with the black comedy projected to make between $12 million and $15 million during its opening weekend.
The early Digger box office figures point to a subdued start for the film, which is directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu and carries a reported production budget of $125 million, excluding marketing costs.
The preview earnings were recorded on Thursday as the film entered its first full weekend in cinemas. Current forecasts place its domestic opening in the low-to-mid teens.
Digger stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a powerful man attempting to establish himself as humanity’s saviour after triggering a potentially devastating crisis.
The cast also includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons.
The film’s initial performance is notably behind Verity, another release this weekend, which collected $4.5 million from previews. The adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel stars Anne Hathaway, Josh Hartnett and Dakota Johnson.
Although opening weekend figures do not determine whether Digger can recover its costs over the weeks ahead, its early box office result represents a challenging launch for the Cruise-led production.
The film marks Iñárritu’s first English-language feature since The Revenant and Cruise’s first film with Warner Bros since 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow.
