Tom Cruise's latest movie is heading toward a bruising opening weekend, with Digger projected to fall far behind the Anne Hathaway-Dakota Johnson thriller Verity. Deadline's Friday evening update puts Verity on course for approximately $32 million at the domestic box office, while Digger is tracking toward roughly $10 million-a startling gap for a film led by one of Hollywood's most recognizable stars. These figures remain projections for the October 2-4 weekend, rather than final grosses.
The first reported ticket sales already reveal a substantial divide. According to Variety, Verity collected $4.5 million in previews, compared with $1.2 million for Digger. That gives the Colleen Hoover adaptation an early advantage as the two new releases compete for moviegoers, although preview results alone cannot determine how either film will perform over its full theatrical run.
For Digger, the opening estimates intensify scrutiny of an expensive creative gamble. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film takes Cruise into dark satire, departing from the action spectacles most closely associated with his recent career. Earlier reporting had already warned of a potentially weak debut, with Page Six describing the production as carrying a reported $135 million budget. Production estimates vary across outlets, but the scale of the investment makes the projected opening particularly troubling.
Cruise plays a powerful oilman whose actions trigger an environmental catastrophe, placing the actor inside a provocative story about wealth, responsibility and global disaster. The film's reception has been divided: an Australian review praised aspects of its ambition and Cruise's transformation while acknowledging its uneven humor and chaotic tone. That mixed response complicates the challenge of persuading a broad audience to embrace an unconventional release.
Meanwhile, Verity arrives with an established readership and a cast that includes Hathaway, Johnson and Josh Hartnett. The psychological thriller follows struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, who accepts a ghostwriting assignment for author Verity Crawford and discovers material that draws her into disturbing family secrets. Its combination of literary recognition, suspense and star power gives the release several routes to audience interest.
The weekend's emerging contest also highlights the commercial appeal of a recognizable book adaptation. Boxoffice Pro identified Hoover's novel and the film's leading cast among its advantages before release. The early figures now suggest that those attractions are translating into ticket sales, even as Cruise's more unusual project struggles to generate comparable opening momentum.
Saturday and Sunday business could still change the estimates, and overseas earnings will contribute to both films' eventual results. For now, however, the domestic outlook is stark: Verity is positioned to open at more than three times Digger's projected total, leaving Cruise's ambitious departure facing an immediate commercial test.
