Warner Bros. has had a tough year at the box office. Now, it's bracing for 'Digger'

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Set us as preferred Tom Cruise is one of the bankable stars in Hollywood.But his pull may not be enough to lift his upcoming film “Digger” from a likely hard fall at the box office this weekend.That would be unwelcome news for Warner Bros., whose movies have largely struggled to connect with audiences this year, in contrast to 2025, when the studio ran up a string of hits such as “Sinners” and “Weapons.”All of this comes as the studio braces for an uncertain future with Paramount Skydance’s $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros.

Discovery set to close on Tuesday.“No single film is going to capsize the boat,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University.“However, it’s coming at a precarious time because it follows a series of less-than-successful releases at the very moment when the Warner Bros.- Paramount deal has been greenlit, and everybody — no matter how high up — is terrified for his or her job.”Matching the success of the 2025 film slate was always going to be a tall order, particularly when so many of Warner Bros.’ movies that year overperformed.

Hollywood Inc.The announcement comes as Paramount waits for a judge’s approval of its $111-billion purchase of Warner Bros.

Discovery.So far this year, the studio’s domestic box office haul is $437.7 million, representing about 5.6% of the total theatrical revenue in the U.S.and Canada, according to Rentrak data.

Last year, Warner Bros.’ total at this time was $1.8 billion, aided by back-to-back successes starting with “A Minecraft Movie,” which went on to become the highest-grossing movie at the domestic box office during that calendar year.The studio currently does not have any film in the top 20 of domestic box office earners this year, which includes some holdovers from 2025, with ...