Tom Cruise’s Digger has started its theatrical run with a slow opening in India. The film released in theatres on Friday and collected Rs 62 lakh net and Rs 69 lakh gross on Day 1, according to the India box office tracker data provided. The collection came from 579 shows, while the film recorded an overall occupancy of 15.6%, as per trade tracker Sacnilk. With the opening day showing limited footfall, the weekend will be important for the film as it looks to improve its collections and compete with other releases in theatres.
Ahead of its release, Digger had recorded Rs 1.12 crore in advance bookings in India for its first six days. A total of 30,607 tickets were sold across 1,945 shows. After blocked seats were excluded, the advance collection stood at Rs 51.08 lakh. Day 1 had the highest advance collection at Rs 34.23 lakh, followed by Day 2 at Rs 28.84 lakh and Day 3 at Rs 26.78 lakh. The October 1 premiere recorded Rs 22.15 lakh, while Days 4, 5 and 6 recorded advance bookings of Rs 18.85 lakh, Rs 9.02 lakh and Rs 2.24 lakh, respectively. The advance figures showed that there was some booking activity before release, although the film’s Day 1 theatrical collection remained modest.
The film has also seen a slow beginning in North America. Digger earned $1.2 million from Thursday previews. According to Deadline, the film is projected to open to under $10 million domestically and less than $20 million worldwide. This is below Warner Bros.’ initial $12 million to $15 million estimate.
The film reportedly has a production budget of $180 million. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Digger stars Tom Cruise as wealthy oil tycoon Digger Rockwell and actor Curtis. The story follows an environmental crisis after a huge iceberg heads towards Europe, before revealing that the events are part of a stage play called Fossil Fools. The cast also includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons and Sandra Hüller. The film runs for 2 hours and 11 minutes and carries an A certification in India.
