John Goodman Says Digger Reviews Killed Tom Cruise Film Before Release

Tom Cruise's 2026 film Digger has become one of the year's most notable box office disappointments, pulling in just $49 million against a reported production budget between $125 million and $180 million. The financial shortfall is stark enough, but co-star John Goodman argues the damage was done long before opening weekend. Speaking with Josh Horowitz, Goodman said the critical narrative surrounding the film effectively "killed" it in the public eye before anyone bought a ticket. For a star of Cruise's stature — widely regarded as one of the last true movie stars capable of opening a film on name alone — the result represents a rare and significant commercial stumble.

The numbers tell a grim story. Digger holds a 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes, marking it as the lowest-rated film in Cruise's filmography since 2017's The Mummy. IGN awarded it a 6 out of 10, noting that the movie lacks the bite needed to sell its satirical message about global warming, even while praising the cast's performances and comedic moments. Goodman described the pre-release headlines as brutal, recalling coverage that predicted the film would "only make $5" and suggesting those narratives gave audiences a convenient reason to stay away. The disconnect between the film's actual qualities and its critical obituary is the core of Goodman's frustration.

Goodman Defends the Film and His Experience

Despite the commercial failure and critical drubbing, Goodman remains proud of Digger and his time on set.

"It hurt. They kinda killed us before we opened [with headlines like], 'This will only make $5,'"

John Goodman, Actor

"And it [felt like] a good reason for people to avoid it. I'm proud of it. I had a ball doing it."

John Goodman, Actor

His comments reflect a performer who believed in the project's message and enjoyed the collaborative process, only to watch external narratives overwhelm the film's release. That sense of pride stands in sharp contrast to the industry's quick judgment.

Goodman's defense highlights a tension that often goes unexamined in post-mortem coverage: the gap between a film's reception and the experience of making it. He went on to state that he believed in the message of Digger and defended the film despite its lack of universal appeal. For actors, a "bomb" label can stick unfairly, obscuring work they consider strong. Goodman's willingness to speak candidly about the hurt suggests he views the film as more than its opening weekend — a perspective that rarely makes headlines but matters to the people who actually built the thing.

What the Reviews Actually Said

The critical consensus wasn't uniformly hostile, even if the aggregate scores suggest otherwise. IGN's review acknowledged that Digger's satire may not change thinking on global warming, but highlighted "excellent performances and more than a few laughs" as reasons to engage. The outlet went further, explicitly recommending the theatrical experience for subscription holders: "If you're an AMC A-List member (or have another cinema subscription), Digger is worth catching on the big screen." That qualification — worth seeing if you've already paid for the ticket — captures the film's strange position: not a disaster, but not essential either.

That middling reception is precisely what makes the "killed before release" argument plausible. When a film draws 53% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6/10 from a major outlet, the narrative calcifies quickly: it's a misfire, a disappointment, a bomb. Headlines amplify the score, not the nuance. Potential viewers see the number and move on. Goodman's point isn't that critics were wrong to dislike aspects of the film — it's that the cumulative weight of those judgments, amplified into predictive obituaries, created a self-fulfilling prophecy. The film never got a fair fight.

Whether Digger finds a second life on streaming or in retrospective reappraisals remains an open question. Some films dismissed in their moment — The Mummy itself, ironically, has its defenders — eventually cultivate cult followings. But that process takes years, and there's no guarantee. For now, the film stands as a costly reminder that star power alone can't overcome a narrative that hardens before the lights go down. Cruise's next choices will signal whether this result makes him more cautious or more willing to swing big. Either way, the team behind Digger stands by it — and Goodman, at least, had a ball making it.