Summary
Overview
Richard Osman discusses the epic box office failure of 'Digger' starring Tom Cruise, which may be the biggest flop of all time despite being an ambitious artistic swing. He shares insights from filming Golden Elevators in Belgium, explaining how modern TV production works with international crews and massive budgets. The episode also covers Taylor Swift's latest backlash and the changing economics of entertainment production.
Digger: Anatomy of a Box Office Disaster
Tom Cruise's latest film 'Digger' opened to just $8 million against a budget of $180 million (without marketing), potentially making it the biggest bomb of all time. Directed by Alejandro Iñárritu, this eco-satire was described as "a university play that somebody spent 180 million dollars on" - beautiful to look at but commercially disastrous. The timing is particularly bad as it coincides with Warner Bros film chiefs Mike DeLuca and Pam Abdy being ousted as part of David Ellison's consolidation of Paramount and Warner.
- Digger opened to only $8 million North American box office against a $180 million budget (without marketing)
- The film is an apocalyptic satirical eco-farce that cost over 10 times what Iñárritu's Birdman cost
- Warner Bros film chiefs Mike DeLuca and Pam Abdy are out as part of David Ellison's studio consolidation
- Colleen Hoover's 'Verity' adaptation topped the box office with $34 million versus Digger's $8 million
- The film got the same CinemaScore (C-range) as the successful 'Verity' despite vastly different budgets
" It's so beautiful to look at but it's like a university play that somebody spent 180 million dollars without marketing on. "
" I'll tell you what, why don't we just make Days of Thunder 2, which we're going to get to? "
" At least they're not attempting just to make a feel good movie and it fails and they lose 150 million dollars. At least they're going why don't we make a stand out piece of cinema that's going to last forever. "
The Future of Risk-Taking in Entertainment
The failure of Digger and success of smaller films like Verity and Obsession raises questions about Hollywood's future direction. While some argue Digger represents admirable artistic ambition, its catastrophic failure makes it harder to greenlight similar projects. The new leadership at the consolidated Paramount-Warner has no track record of supporting such risky ventures, suggesting a retreat to safer, more commercial projects like the announced Days of Thunder 2.
- Tom Cruise hasn't had a successful non-franchise film in years - American Made, The Mummy, and Jack Reacher underperformed
- Days of Thunder 2 with Anne Hathaway is more likely to serve the audience that modern Hollywood needs
- If Digger loses $200 million, it represents a catastrophic failure that will make similar projects harder to greenlight
" This is a better flop than the Marvels. You know? It's better for the world that this is the flop... at least they're going for it. "
" I don't think you even turned the page on it you're just like you're in okay so they haven't gone because of this but obviously this is a sort of great mess. "
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