Guillermo del Toro Slams ‘Petty’ Reviews and Champions Tom Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Stumbling Box Office Gamble ‘Digger’

Acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has stepped forward to mount a passionate and vocal defense of Digger, the ambitious, high-budget R-rated black comedy directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise. As the movie stumbles out of the gate with a difficult opening weekend at the box office and harsh critical reception, del Toro is using his social media presence to push back against what he views as overly cynical dismissals of a daring theatrical endeavor.

The support from del Toro arrives as Digger, distributed by Warner Bros., faces an uphill battle with both critics and mainstream audiences. With a production budget reportedly soaring north of $125 million, the picture has generated intense industry chatter not only for its star-studded pairing of Iñárritu and Cruise, but also for its polarizing artistic choices and stark divide between its defenders and detractors.

Taking to X ahead of the film’s Friday theatrical release, del Toro did not mince words when addressing early critical notices. Quoting and criticizing one particularly sharp assessment of the black comedy, the Oscar-winning director labeled the coverage as an "entirely petty headline."

Del Toro urged audiences to judge the project on its own merits rather than joining a pile-on, writing, "Love it or not. And yes, I do. The film delivers in scale, ambition and reach at a theatrical screen level. Daring, bold and cinematically complex. Decidedly a theatrical experience."

Rather than letting his initial post stand alone, del Toro doubled down over the weekend by amplifying positive viewer responses and critical praise, including specific accolades directed toward Tom Cruise’s lead performance.

"Funny, I go into the platform and without even scrolling down, these are popping at the top of my timeline…" del Toro wrote alongside a reposted review. "So… I will just keep posting them. Tune in or drop out." In another post championing the film’s unique aesthetic and stubborn refusal to pander, he added the rallying cry, "Dig or Die – c’mon!"

To contextualize the fierce backlash surrounding Digger, del Toro pointed to cinematic history, drawing direct parallels between the current critical reception of Iñárritu’s film and the initial reactions to several now-revered masterpieces that similarly alienated contemporary critics upon release. Del Toro explicitly cited classic and cult films such as Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Big Lebowski, Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy, and Ridley Scott’s The Counselor, all of which faced initial skepticism or outright derision before eventually finding appreciation with audiences and film scholars over time.

Despite del Toro’s vocal advocacy, Digger has faced an uphill battle since hitting theaters, currently sitting at a troubled 51% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers have pointed to a disconnect between the film’s comedic aspirations and its actual execution, with Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman arguing that the picture ultimately struggles to connect with viewers due to its self-serious tone and massive financial footprint.

"I’m not sure that ‘Digger’ is going to connect, because it’s so full of itself — so top-heavy with importance," Gleiberman wrote in his review. "The movie cost north of $125 million to make, and that figure is not only too big to probably justify itself; it’s a testament to the arrogance of the filmmakers — to the assumption that we’ll turn out in droves for this ponderous absurdist lecture."

Those critical misgivings have quickly translated into financial realities at the box office. Following a wave of negative early reviews and deeply divided word of mouth leading up to its release, Digger managed to pull in just $3.4 million domestically on its opening Friday. Industry tracking and box office estimates now point toward a sobering domestic opening weekend of roughly $7.5 million, positioning the high-profile Warner Bros. release as one of the major commercial misfires of the year.

Amid the mounting financial pressure and critical crossfire, Tom Cruise also broke his silence over the weekend to show solidarity with the project and his fellow collaborators. Taking to X on Saturday, the megastar expressed immense gratitude for the collaborative process behind the daring cinematic venture, signaling his pride in the finished product despite its rocky commercial rollout.

"DIGGER is officially in theaters and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to create this film alongside such talented artists," Cruise wrote. "Thank you to the entire cast and crew for your dedication, hard work, and joy. The experience was truly unforgettable and I’m so proud of what we…"