After Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck backs Tom Cruise’s Digger amid box-office struggle, calls it ‘ambitious’

Tom Cruise’s Digger has received support from another Hollywood star as the film faces a difficult run at the box office. After Anne Hathaway praised the dark comedy and gave it a 10/10 rating, actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck has also defended the movie. He believes that celebrating its commercial failure could discourage studios from backing ambitious films and push Hollywood towards more formula-driven projects.

Ben Affleck says celebrating Digger’s failure could hurt Hollywood

Ben Affleck shared his views during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. He described Digger as an ambitious film made by talented people and questioned why some viewers appeared eager to celebrate its poor box-office performance.

During the podcast conversation, Ben Affleck compared the response to Digger to school bullying. He suggested that some people were treating the film’s box-office struggles as a reason to mock it rather than consider what its makers had attempted to achieve.




The actor said, "It’s a little bit like the high-school bullying thing, with people who hadn’t even seen movies. You see it happening now, frankly, with ‘Digger’. Everybody wants to celebrate this bomb as if it’s the most exciting thing to happen. And you think like, it’s a pretty ambitious, interesting movie made by interesting people who have talent."


Affleck also warned that repeatedly ridiculing films that fail commercially could have consequences for the wider industry. If studios see ambitious projects being dismissed when they do not perform well, they may become less willing to take similar risks.

Instead, studios could choose to produce movies that follow familiar formulas and are less likely to stand out. Affleck’s comments highlight the tension between commercial expectations and the freedom to experiment with unusual stories and filmmaking styles.

The actor has experienced box-office disappointments during his own career, giving his comments an added perspective. His defence of Digger comes as the film’s performance and reception continue to generate discussion among moviegoers.

Why is Tom Cruise’s Digger struggling at the box office?

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Digger is an apocalyptic dark comedy starring Cruise as an oil baron whose actions lead to a global crisis. The story begins when one of his oil rigs in Antarctica malfunctions, setting off a chain of events that sends ice caps hurtling towards Europe and threatens the planet.

The film opened in North American and Indian theatres on October 2, 2026, following an international rollout that began on September 30. It is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and is also playing in IMAX theatres.

According to the figures provided, Digger had earned around $15 million at the US box office following its theatrical debut. The film reportedly has a production budget exceeding $160 million, with marketing expenses estimated at another $100 million.

Its reported break-even target stands at around $350 million in theatrical earnings. The gap between its costs and its reported US collection has put the film’s commercial performance under scrutiny.

However, Affleck’s argument focuses on what the film represents beyond its earnings. His comments suggest that a movie’s commercial outcome should not automatically determine whether its creative ambitions deserve consideration.

Anne Hathaway gives Digger a 10/10 review

Before Affleck spoke in support of the film, Anne Hathaway had shared her own positive response on Letterboxd. The Oscar-winning actor gave Digger a 10/10 rating in what was reported to be her first written review on the film-sharing platform.

Hathaway praised the film for its unusual style, humour and ambition. She described, “I loved this brilliant movie. It’s smart and trippy and aggressive and funny and ambitious. It’s worth making the time see and decide for yourself what you make of it. For me? 10/10”.

Her review offered a different perspective from the mixed critical response and the discussion surrounding the film’s box-office performance.

Hathaway’s praise also comes amid reports that she and Cruise are set to work together on a sequel to his 1990 racing drama Days of Thunder, reportedly planned for 2028.