Tom Cruise’s Digger might be streaming on HBO Max sooner than you think

Tom Cruise swung for the fences with Digger. Unfortunately for Cruise and the rest of Hollywood, the risk hasn’t paid off, with Digger suffering an epic opening-weekend failure at the box office.

Released on October 2, Digger opened to $8 million at the domestic box office and $20 million worldwide. That is the worst-case scenario for a Cruise movie with an estimated budget north of $160 million. With a lucrative theatrical run off the table, it’s possible Warner Bros. sends Digger to HBO Max sooner than usual.

What went wrong with Digger?

Critics and audiences are down on Cruise’s gamble

Digger was always seen as a huge financial risk. Digger had the budget of an expensive blockbuster. However, Digger does not have the death-defying stunts that audiences have become accustomed to seeing Cruise perform in the Mission: Impossible and Top Gun movies. It’s Cruise delivering a showy, over-the-top performance through extensive prosthetics. That’s a little less exciting than Ethan Hunt driving a motorcycle off a cliff.

Digger should have been produced as an art house movie with a smaller budget instead of a commercial play. Yet Warner Bros. probably isn’t landing Digger with Cruise and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu for a modest budget.

There is also a marketing issue with Digger. While I won’t spoil the exact plot twist, a significant reveal happens in the first third of Digger that completely changes the movie. The promotional materials and trailers do a good job hiding the secret. However, it’s such a jarring twist that it could completely take you out of the movie.

At the end of the day, Digger didn’t fare well with critics or audiences. The black comedy has a 51% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a C+ CinemaScore. A movie that costs $160 million faces an uphill battle toward profitability without strong word of mouth.

Predicting Digger’s HBO Max streaming date

Could we see Digger on streaming by the end of the year?

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

With Digger flopping at the box office, Warner Bros. is going to want to put the movie on streaming as soon as possible, especially since Deadline reports it could result in a $150 million loss for the studio. However, Cruise is a champion of the cinematic experience and might have a strong clause in the contract that prevents Digger from going to streaming without satisfying a theatrical window.

Warner Bros. has typically put their movies on PVOD (Premium Video on Demand) between 30 and 45 days after a studio release. PVOD is when you can rent a movie on digital services at home. I could see Digger following a similar plan, which means it will head to PVOD in November. The box office failure could push that date up to late October, but we’ll have to see how well the movie does in its second week.

As for streaming, Warner Bros. movies tend to arrive on HBO Max anywhere between 75 and 90 days after a theatrical release, though its not set in stone. If Digger follows a similar plan, that means it could be on HBO Max around the holiday season on Dec. 25.

Credit: Antonio Olmos/Warner Bros. Pictures

When Joker: Folie à Deux flopped in October 2024, Warner Bros. released it on HBO Max on Dec. 13, just 71 days after its theatrical premiere date.

Again, Cruise is a special exception because of his standing in Hollywood. At Paramount, Cruise’s last movie, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, was released in theaters on May 23, 2025. It went to PVOD on Aug. 19, 2025, and Paramount+ on Dec. 4, 2025. That was about six months from its theatrical release to its streaming debut.

Because of Digger’s financial setback, I would be shocked if Cruise’s movie was not on HBO Max by the end of the year. Then again, the inevitable Paramount and Warner Bros. merger might complicate things further.

Digger

R

Comedy

Drama

Release Date

October 2, 2026

Runtime

128 minutes

Director

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Powered by

Expand
Collapse