Ben Affleck Says Bullying ‘Digger’ Will Only Lead Studios to Make More ‘S—ty Homogenized Movies’: Don’t ‘Punish Movies That Take Risks’ — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Ben Affleck compared trashing 'Digger' to 'high-school bullying' and warned that punishing risky films will leave studios making 'shitty homogenized movies' — code for more IP and franchise content
- 'Digger' has earned just $15 million domestically since opening Oct. 2, with a production budget over $160 million and a marketing budget around $100 million, meaning the film needs $350 million to break even
- Warner Bros. is expected to lose roughly $245 million on 'Digger,' placing it among the most expensive flops in studio history, per Variety
- Alejandro G. Iñárritu directed the film, which stars Tom Cruise as an oil tycoon whose Antarctic rig malfunction sends ice caps hurtling toward Europe; critics are split at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes
- Neil Young posted on his website calling 'Digger' 'the best film I have ever seen,' urging readers to skip reviews entirely and see it as 'a film of our times' rather than a Tom Cruise vehicle
- Mandy Patinkin called the film an 'instant classic' and 'one of the greatest pieces of film I have ever seen,' while Anne Hathaway gave it a 10/10 on Letterboxd, writing: 'It's worth making the time'
Why it matters: With 'Digger' on track to cost Warner Bros. around $245 million, Affleck's defense reframes the debate from one flop's failure to the industry's incentive structure: studios greenlight fewer swings when audiences punish ambition, leaving only safe franchise tentpoles.
Ask SkimNews
