Hours before the worldwide review embargo lifted, Warner Bros. dropped a daring online spot for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s third-year-long project, Digger. The trailer opens with a blunt invitation: “Decide for yourself.” It then flickers between glowing and scathing excerpts from early-screening influencers – words like “Masterpiece” and “Unpleasant,” “Brilliant” versus “Baffling,” “Magnificent” against “Insufferable.” The sequence finishes with Tom Cruise’s on-screen avatar snarling, “You know what? Fuck those people,” followed by a line about never fearing the truth. By juxtaposing extremes, the studio signals that the film is meant to split opinion, not to cater to a single taste.
The advertising gamble: let the audience choose
The campaign’s core premise flips the traditional marketing playbook. Instead of hiding weak spots, Warner Bros. places the criticism front-and-center, framing it as a challenge. The ad borrows the language of social-media commentary, using rapid-fire graphics that mimic a meme-filled feed. Tom Cruise himself delivers the rebellious line, reinforcing the idea that the film’s protagonist – an oil magnate whose drilling triggers a climate catastrophe – will not apologize for his actions. This approach appears tailored to a generation accustomed to user-generated verdicts and to a market where word-of-mouth can outweigh critic consensus.
Critical reception: a near-perfect split
When the embargo finally opened, reviewers divided almost evenly. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 53 % positive rating from 113 reviews, while Metacritic lists a score of 44, indicating mixed or average impressions. Some critics praised the ambitious satire and lauded the production design. The Hollywood Reporter noted the “bombastic” nature of the climate-crisis narrative, whereas Variety called the movie “so full of itself” and questioned its commercial viability. Notable dissenters – David Rooney, Owen Gleiberman, and Bilge Ebiri – described the piece as pretentious, exhausting, or a “torturous experience.” Conversely, a handful of early influencers hailed it as a timely, visually stunning masterpiece. The polarized language mirrors the ad’s own dichotomy, making the “decide for yourself” tagline feel almost literal.
Box-office outlook and production scale
Beyond the reviews, the financial stakes are massive. Warner Bros. officially cited a production budget of $135 million, though some industry trackers suggest the true cost may exceed $180 million when marketing is factored in. The film opened on more than 3,500 screens nationwide, yet early box-office projections pointed to an opening under $10 million – a stark contrast to the scale of the rollout. The modest forecast reflects both the divisive critical chatter and audience fatigue for heavyweight, self-referential dramas. Still, the studio is banking on the curiosity sparked by the confrontational ad to drive at least a respectable opening weekend, hoping the controversy converts into ticket sales.
Digger officially arrives in theaters on Friday, Oct. 2. Whether the polarizing marketing strategy translates into a profitable run remains to be seen, but the film’s ability to generate debate – both in the press and on social platforms – guarantees that it will be a talking point long after the credits roll.
