Tom Cruise’s Next Movie Is His Biggest Box Office Test In 9 Years

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For the last fifteen years, Tom Cruise has largely stuck to what he does best: big-budget action films. He’s starred in four Mission: Impossible movies, Top Gun: Maverick, two Jack Reacher films, and a reboot of The Mummy, plus other projects. Because of this focus, his upcoming 2026 film, Digger, is seen as a particularly important project for his career.

The new film, directed by Academy Award winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu, stars Tom Cruise in a comedic role as a man trying to fix a global disaster he caused. Early previews of Digger suggest a departure from the types of roles Cruise has been playing lately.

Although the movie seems designed to earn awards for Tom Cruise, the $125 million Warner Bros. invested in it shows how confident they are in his ability to make the film a financial success. Cruise has a long history of hit movies, but Digger‘s performance will be his first major test in nearly a decade.

Digger Will Prove How Big A Box Office Draw Tom Cruise Really Is

This is because Digger is the first film Tom Cruise has made outside of a major franchise since 2017’s American Made. That earlier film, an action-crime movie based on a true story directed by Doug Liman, did well in theaters, earning $134 million globally – almost three times its $50 million production cost.

Following that film, he went on to create Mission: Impossible – Fallout in 2018. He then spent several years working through the challenges of the pandemic to produce Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

Those four films were massive successes, earning a combined total of over $3 billion. Each one grossed more than $571 million, and both Fallout and Maverick were Tom Cruise’s highest-grossing films when they came out. Maverick still holds that record, having earned $1.4 billion worldwide.

Having become so well-known for roles in major franchises, Digger will be a test to see if audiences will go to the cinema to see Tom Cruise even when he’s not playing his iconic characters like Ethan Hunt or Maverick. It’s a completely new comedy-drama that depends on Cruise’s popularity to attract viewers.

Now, all eyes are on him to prove he deserves his status as a leading man capable of headlining any type of movie, much like Leonardo DiCaprio. His recent film, One Battle After Another, earned $206 million, and DiCaprio previously achieved similar success with the $532 million-grossing The Revenant in 2015, also directed by Iñárritu.

Even if Digger doesn’t become a massive hit, it can still prove Tom Cruise’s continued appeal. Earning over $200 million would likely be considered a success, though the film actually needs to make around $312 million to be financially profitable. Achieving that level of success would show Cruise still connects with audiences and can successfully star in films beyond typical action blockbusters.

If the movie performs poorly and earns less than $100 million, it will signal to studios and Tom Cruise that audiences primarily want more of what he’s known for: films like Mission: Impossible and Top Gun. Essentially, people want more action, impressive stunts, and well-known franchises. That’s why the box office numbers for this film will be so interesting when they’re released in October.

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2026-01-24 00:20