Entertainment · Film · 2 hrs ago
John Goodman says reviews hurt Digger's box office performance
John Goodman says negative reviews hurt Digger before it opened in theaters.
The film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, stars Tom Cruise as an oil tycoon and Goodman as the US president.
It is a politically charged satire about an environmental disaster and an attempt to save the world.
Digger took in $8 million in the US on its opening weekend, then ticket sales fell sharply in its second weekend.
Its reported budget was as high as $170 million before marketing, making the weak sales a major financial setback.
Goodman says he is proud of the film and believes it will find an audience over time.
The film has drawn support from several celebrities, while its reviews and audience response have been mixed.
John Goodman said negative reviews hurt Digger and may have discouraged people from seeing it.
He told the Happy Sad Confused podcast that headlines predicting very low earnings gave audiences a reason to avoid the film.
Digger, which stars Tom Cruise and is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, opened to weak box-office results.
Goodman said he was proud of the film and believed it would be remembered for a long time.
- Who
- John Goodman, who stars in Digger.
- What
- Goodman said negative reviews hurt the film before it opened and may have contributed to its weak box office.
- When
- He made the comments on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, reported on November 2, 2026.
- Where
- The film opened in theaters; the sources report its US and international box-office results.
- Why
- Goodman said early headlines predicting very low earnings gave people a reason to avoid the film.
John Goodman
Digger critics
Reviews and box office
John Goodman
Goodman said negative reviews hurt the film before it opened and gave people a reason to avoid it.
Digger critics
Critics gave the film mixed reviews; the sources do not identify a specific critic responding to Goodman.
Digger was released in theaters.
The film grossed $8 million in US theaters, according to the Daily Mail.
Ticket sales fell by 60 per cent, and the film's domestic total reached $14.4 million, according to the Daily Mail.
Reports quoted Goodman saying negative reviews hurt Digger before it opened.
- US opening weekend
- $8 million
- International sales
- $12 million from 74 countries
- Second-weekend ticket sales
- Fell by 60 per cent
- Estimated budget
- Up to $170 million before marketing costs
- Audience score
- 77% on Rotten Tomatoes
- Critical score
- 53% on Rotten Tomatoes
3 sources
What people are saying
They kinda killed us before we opened
I am proud of it