Warner Bros.’ final theatrical release before Paramount completes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery ($WBD) is ending the studio’s 103-year run as a standalone company on a weak note. Tom Cruise’s “Digger” opened to about $20 million worldwide this weekend, including roughly $8 million in the U.S. and Canada and $12 million overseas.
The result is especially painful given the movie’s cost. Warner Bros. originally greenlit “Digger” with a $125 million production budget, but Variety reports that costs climbed as production ran long. The studio also spent about $100 million on global marketing, pushing its financial exposure well beyond the headline production figure.
Industry executives cited by Variety estimate the film needs roughly $350 million in worldwide box-office sales to break even theatrically, while Warner Bros. puts that figure closer to $300 million. Either estimate leaves “Digger” with a very large gap to close after its opening weekend.
Hollywood’s Box Office Was Strong in 2026
One thing is for certain: WBD can’t blame Digger’s flop on a weak movie market. The 2026 U.S. summer box office reached a record $4.765 billion from May 1 through September 7, according to Rentrak data reported by ScreenDaily.
Moviegoers have shown they are willing to spend on theatrical releases. “Digger’s” performance instead raises questions about the economics of expensive original films, particularly when production and marketing costs can push the required box-office return far above the reported production budget.
The film also arrives at a turning point for Warner Bros. Paramount’s $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to close on October 6, creating a combined company called Skydance. The deal also brings a heavy financial agenda, including roughly $80 billion of debt and a target of $6 billion in annual savings.
That puts Warner’s film slate under a brighter financial spotlight. “Digger” alone will not determine the economics of the merger. Still, a costly miss just before the deal closes gives incoming management another reason to scrutinize film budgets, marketing spending, and the expected returns from big original projects.
Using TipRanks’ Comparison Tool, we compared WBD and PSKY stocks before they both merge into one entity. It’s a great tool to gain a better understanding of each company and even the entertainment industry as a whole.
