The Newshound

'They 'kind of killed' us': John Goodman blames critics for burying Tom Cruise's satire Digger before it even opened

John Goodman said scathing pre-release reviews gave audiences "good reason to avoid" Digger, which has taken under $50 million worldwide against an estimated $160–170 million production cost.
John Goodman said scathing pre-release reviews gave audiences "good reason to avoid" Digger, which has taken under $50 million worldwide against an estimated $160–170 million production cost.
Tom Cruise in white hair and a prosthetic pot belly as Digger's billionaire oil tycoon, a film Goodman predicted "is going to be around for a long time.
Tom Cruise in white hair and a prosthetic pot belly as Digger's billionaire oil tycoon, a film Goodman predicted "is going to be around for a long time.

John Goodman, 74, told the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast that early headlines predicting 'Digger' would "only make $5" gave audiences a ready-made excuse to stay home, and that the bruising reception genuinely stung. The Alejandro González Iñárritu-directed black comedy, in which Goodman plays cancer-ridden US president Compson alongside Tom Cruise's billionaire oil tycoon, has earned just $49 million worldwide against a budget estimated at up to $170 million before marketing.

Ticket sales collapsed 60 per cent in the film's second weekend, leaving it among the biggest box office bombs of all time.

Goodman drew comfort from his Coen brothers record, noting: 'Everything I've done for them flopped initially — I've still got people running up to me about Barton Fink.'

Despite a 53 per cent critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences rated it 77 per cent, and Neil Young called it 'the best film I have ever seen.'

MoreThe IndependentDigger star says critics ‘killed’ Tom Cruise movie before it even hit cinemasDaily Mail AUJohn Goodman says scathing reviews 'killed' Digger at the box officeFar Out MagazineJohn Goodman claims failure of 'Digger' "hurt" him - Far Out MagazineScreenHub AustraliaDigger star John Goodman pans critics’ response: ‘They kind of killed us’ - ScreenHub Australia
Read today's full feed at The Newshound →