# John Goodman Says ‘Digger’ Was ‘Killed’ by Critics ‘Before We Even Opened’ and ‘It Hurt’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/john-goodman-says-digger-was-killed-by-critics-before-we-even-opened-and-it-hurt/
- Published: 2026-11-02T18:23:20+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T03:34:39+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/john-goodman-digger-killed-by-critics-before-opening-1236937556/

## Key points

- Goodman says negative pre-release coverage hurt *Digger*.
- The film cost over $160 million and opened with $15 million domestically.
- He remains proud of the film despite its poor reception.

## Summary

John Goodman says negative pre-release coverage damaged the commercial prospects of *Digger*, which opened to weak ticket sales after critics had already questioned its chances. He remains proud of the film, though he admits that its poor reception hurt after he had invested heavily in the project.

The film, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise as an oil tycoon, cost more than $160 million to make and took $15 million domestically in its opening. After a month, it had earned less than $50 million worldwide; it received a 53% Rotten Tomatoes score and reportedly needed about $350 million to break even. Goodman said films he made with the Coen brothers, including *Barton Fink* and *The Big Lebowski*, also initially struggled before finding lasting audiences.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.