Tom Cruise defends 'Digger' after box office flop

Tom Cruise has defended Digger after the film suffered one of the worst box office openings of his career, insisting he doesn't judge a movie by its first weekend. 

Alejandro G. Iñárritu's satirical black comedy took just $8 million in North America on a production budget of more than $160 million.

"When I am making [movies], I'm not going, 'Opening weekend!' I feel very much like we're going to make something that is a lasting piece of cinema," Cruise said on the On Film With Kevin McCarthy podcast. 

Read more: Tom Cruise celebrates 'Digger' release despite disastrous opening weekend

The interview, which has since gone viral, was published on the day Digger opened in cinemas.

Cruise and Iñárritu pointed to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner as an example of a film hailed as a masterpiece that "everybody killed" on release, but which went on to become one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made.

Cruise said he hopes to make films that transcend that initial reception, and recalled releasing films in the 1980s and 1990s, when they could play in cinemas for a year. 

He cited Rain Man and Born on the Fourth of July as examples, and said he feels Digger is one of those films that can last and evolve.

The numbers make for a tough climb. 

With a production budget reported at $160 million to $180 million, plus a $100 million marketing spend, Digger would need to gross about $350 million worldwide to break even. 

After a $20 million global start, that figure looks out of reach, and the film is now primed to lose at least $150 million to $200 million theatrically.

Digger was widely billed as Cruise's first non-action role in nearly a decade. 

He plays Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon facing the end of the world after one of his rigs in Antarctica malfunctions and sends ice caps hurtling towards Europe and beyond. 

Reviews were sharply divided, with some critics calling it a masterpiece and others dismissing it as an insufferable misfire.

Cruise also took to social media over the opening weekend to tell fans it was an honour to make the film. 

He thanked the cast and crew for their dedication, hard work and joy, adding that the experience was unforgettable and that he is proud of what they created.

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