Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Social Reckoning’ opens to $5.5m in US theaters
Tom Cruise’s latest film “Digger” is on track to lose roughly $245m (£185m) at the global box office after ticket sales fell by around 60% in the film’s second weekend in cinemas, according to Hollywood analysts cited by the BBC. The satirical black comedy, in which Cruise plays oil magnate Digger Rockwell, has taken approximately $35m (£26m) worldwide since its release, well below the estimated $280m (£211m) it cost Warner Bros. to produce and market.
Hollywood trade publication Variety reported that “Digger” is expected to end its theatrical run with around $50m (£38m) worldwide. To break even, the film would need to reach about $350m (£264m), Variety’s analysts said, once budget, marketing costs, the portion of ticket sales returned to theaters and the likely cost of an awards-season campaign are factored in. A Warner Bros. spokesman told Variety the studio’s internal break-even figure was lower, at $300m (£227m).
If losses reach the forecast range, “Digger” would join a bracket of nine-figure Hollywood flops including 1995’s “Cutthroat Island,” 2002’s “The Adventures of Pluto Nash,” 2005’s “Sahara” and 2012’s “John Carter.” Other films estimated to have lost nine-figure sums include “Mars Needs Moms” (2011), “Amsterdam” (2022), “The 13th Warrior” (1999), “The Marvels” (2023) and “Speed Racer” (2008).
In comments reported last week, Cruise said he “never thought of movies when I’m making them [in terms of] opening weekend,” adding that he was instead focused on making films that “hopefully will translate, last and evolve.” The performance stands in contrast to Cruise’s recent work in major franchises, including new installments of “Top Gun” and “Mission: Impossible.”
“Digger” is directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, best known for “Birdman,” “Babel” and “The Revenant.” The film received generally poor reviews from critics, prompting Warner Bros. to launch a new marketing campaign urging audiences to “decide for yourself,” the BBC reported. “Digger” was the last standalone release from the studio before its recent takeover by Paramount, according to the BBC.
Meanwhile, “The Social Reckoning,” Aaron Sorkin’s sequel to the Oscar-winning “The Social Network,” also struggled on its opening weekend. The film took $5.5m (£4.1m) in the US, well below the $22m (£16m) its predecessor earned on opening weekend in 2010, a figure not adjusted for inflation. Worldwide, Sorkin’s latest film — which stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Strong and Jeremy Allen White — took around $9m (£6.8m).
The film tells the true story of Facebook engineer Frances Haugan, who leaked internal documents to a reporter after becoming concerned about some of the company’s practices, according to the BBC. In the US box-office chart, “The Social Reckoning” was beaten by horror film “Other Mommy,” psychological thriller “Verity,” video-game adaptation “Resident Evil” and Brad Pitt’s wilderness thriller “Heart of the Beast.”