Warner Bros.’ “Digger” Flops as Box Office Leader Emerges with “Verity”
NEW YORK (AP) — Just before its merger with Paramount, Warner Bros. experienced a disappointing outcome with the opening of Digger, which resulted in one of Tom Cruise’s worst debuts ever. Instead, Verity, from Amazon MGM, topped the North American box office, earning $32.6 million. Directed by Michael Showalter, the film features Dakota Johnson as a ghostwriter for a paralyzed author, played by Anne Hathaway.
Digger, overshadowed by poor reviews and a hefty budget of around $150 million, managed to garner only $8 million domestically and an additional $12 million from international markets—far below expectations. The marketing budget added another $100 million, marking this film as a significant financial risk for Warner Bros.
This release comes at a critical juncture for the studio, which has yet to see a film cross the $100 million mark domestically this year, although expectations remain high for the upcoming release of Dune: Part III. Warner Bros. co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy are expected to leave the studio soon, with mass layoffs anticipated in the wake of the merger.
Critics described Digger as a lackluster climate change satire, echoing the overall sentiment that Warner Bros. may need to rethink its strategy under the new management. Audience reception was lukewarm, as reflected by a “C+” CinemaScore.
In contrast, Avengers: Endgame: Encore managed to reclaim its status as the highest-grossing film of all time, pulling in $4.4 million domestically this weekend, bringing its total to $2.9255 billion—slightly edging out Avatar.
Top 10 Domestic Box Office
- Verity: $32.6 million
- Resident Evil: $12.5 million
- Heart of the Beast: $11 million
- Primetime: $8 million
- Digger: $8 million
- Forgotten Island: $7.2 million
- Avengers: Endgame: Encore: $4.4 million
- Drishyam: The Conclusion: $2.7 million
- Practical Magic 2: $2.7 million
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day: $2.5 million
As the dust settles on this troubled release, all eyes are on the future direction of Warner Bros. under a newly merged corporate structure.
