Ben Affleck defended Tom Cruise following the failure of ‘Digger’

The star of “Argo” criticized the mockery directed at the Alejandro G. Iñárritu production and warned that Hollywood is becoming increasingly unwilling to experiment.

Ben Affleck came to the defense of Digger—a film starring Tom Cruise that is struggling at the box office and has divided critics. In an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, hosted by Josh Horowitz, Affleck questioned those who celebrate the film’s failure, especially when they haven’t even seen it.

“It’s a bit like high school bullying—people weighing in who hadn’t even seen the movies. And, frankly, we’re seeing that happen now with Digger. Everyone wants to celebrate this failure as if it’s the most exciting thing to happen,” he stated on the show.

Affleck acknowledged that the film is an ambitious project, crafted by talented professionals, even if it hasn’t been well-received by everyone. In his view, reducing the film’s value solely to its financial losses ignores the importance of exploring new ideas within the film industry.

“Everyone wants to count the money—how much it lost, or whatever. But I think: if you punish films that take risks, guess what you’re going to end up with? A bunch of shitty, homogeneous movies,” he asserted, without hesitation.

Affleck insisted that original productions need the freedom to experiment, even when the result fails to win over the audience. “You can’t make something interesting without taking big risks. And that means that, sometimes, you’re going to fall flat,” he added.

The film’s commercial failure

Digger features Cruise as Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon who faces a global catastrophe after one of his drilling rigs in Antarctica malfunctions, causing massive ice masses to advance toward Europe. The film uses satire to address the climate crisis and the power of economic elites.

However, the project has failed to draw audiences to theaters. According to data cited by IGN, the film debuted on October 2 with just $8 million in the United States and Canada, alongside $12 million from international markets during its opening weekend. After two weekends in theaters, it had accumulated $35.3 million globally.

The outlook is bleak, considering the production budget exceeded $160 million, with an additional $100 million reportedly spent on the marketing campaign. According to Variety, the film would need to gross approximately $350 million in theaters to break even.

Estimates from the same outlet point to losses of nearly $245 million for Warner Bros., which would rank the production among Hollywood’s biggest commercial failures.

Critical reception has also been mixed. Digger holds a 53% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ "Tomatometer," compared to a 74% positive audience score on the "Popcornmeter," according to IGN. While some viewers and critics have highlighted its ambition and originality, others have questioned its satirical approach and execution.

Other Hollywood stars have come to the defense of Digger.

Affleck is not the only Hollywood figure to express support for the film. Anne Hathaway praised the project on Letterboxd, giving it a rating of 10 out of 10.

“I loved this brilliant film. It’s smart, psychedelic, aggressive, funny, and ambitious,” the actress wrote. She also invited the audience to take the time to form their own opinions.

For her part, Jane Fonda highlighted the risk Cruise took by playing a character far removed from his typical action-movie roles. She also praised the original and daring way the film addresses the climate crisis and encouraged the team to continue pursuing bold projects.

Meanwhile, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro summarized his stance in a post on X: “Love art. Screw the numbers.”

Musician Neil Young also joined in the praise. On his website, he described Digger as “the best film I have ever seen” and argued that many negative reviews failed to properly convey its artistic vision.