Digger’s Disappointing Opening Weekend
Digger, the latest film that promotes a pro-Global Warming agenda while criticizing Western civilization, made a dismal $28 million during its global debut.
It’s one thing for the less sophisticated, perhaps more traditional, American audience to turn their backs on a film. But surely the enlightened, progressive international viewers would rally behind a work of art that claims Global Warming is real and scorns the West for benefiting from oil, which, by the way, fueled the Industrial Revolution and significantly reduced global poverty.
Surely the cultured Europeans would look favorably upon this film.
And of course, the, uh, openly exploited Third World could show their support.
The sentiment seems clear: the world appears to have an aversion to America, and this movie reflects that disdain somewhat. It’s almost ironic, isn’t it?
What was anticipated to be a major contender in the awards season, potentially propelling Tom Cruise to Oscar success, has instead become one of his biggest flops. Early signs indicate that Digger could lose between $150 million and $200 million, akin to the notorious John Carter situation.
In its opening weekend, the film brought in only $8 million in the United States and $20 million globally.
Now, here comes the spin…
In addition to the film’s hefty budget, it’s reported that Warner Bros. spent another $100 million on marketing, suggesting the film needs $300 million just to break even.
So, Warner Bros. shelled out somewhere between $250 million and $280 million to create and promote this flop, and although theaters take a cut, we’re told the break-even point is merely $300 million.
No, wait. That sounds off.
There’s a significant discrepancy here. A film typically must gross at least double its total budget to actually break even, which puts Digger’s break-even point at around $500 to $600 million. At this rate, Digger may struggle to hit $100 million globally, which means it could experience a loss of up to $200 million.
Those are the facts.
That’s the simple math.
But really, who was this movie intended for? I mean, I get casting a big name like Tom Cruise and investing $40 million in a project like Digger. It happens all the time. Lots of films come with hefty price tags that end up being forgotten. But, seriously, who were the individuals behind the scenes who thought it was wise to invest over a quarter billion dollars into a movie that didn’t present well even in its trailers?
From the outset, the marketing for Digger appeared unappealing—loud, politically charged, and perhaps a bit too self-satisfied to attract a wide audience. Even the film’s few supporters seem to be left with lukewarm remarks like, “It’s not that bad,” or “There are brilliant moments,” or even, “I admire a filmmaker for taking such risks.”
But, honestly? That’s still inadequate to entice anyone to spend an entire evening and $20, right?
