Guillermo Del Toro is publicly declaring his love for “Digger.”
Del Toro took to X to call out naysayers of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s film ahead of its Friday release. “Entirely Petty headline,” the director wrote in response to a review of Warner Bros.’ R-rated black comedy. “Love it or not. And yes, I do. The film delivers in scale, ambition and reach at a theatrical screen level. Daring, bold and cinematically complex. Decidedly a theatrical experience.”
Del Toro has also reposted others’ positive reviews, including one praising Tom Cruise’s performance as the film’s lead.
Popular on Variety
“Funny, I go into the platform and without even scrolling down, these are popping at the top of my timeline…” he wrote alongside the repost. “So… I will just keep posting them. Tune in or drop out—” In another repost, he wrote, “Dig or Die – c’mon!”
Del Toro also compared the negative reviews of “Digger” to those of “The Big Lebowski,” “The King of Comedy,” and “The Counselor,” all of which drew scrutiny at release but later found appreciation with audiences.
“Digger” is currently at just 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman said that, although the film feels like a comedy, it failed to actually be funny. “I’m not sure that ‘Digger’ is going to connect, because it’s so full of itself — so top-heavy with importance,” Gleiberman wrote in his review. “The movie cost north of $125 million to make, and that figure is not only too big to probably justify itself; it’s a testament to the arrogance of the filmmakers — to the assumption that we’ll turn out in droves for this ponderous absurdist lecture.”
The film generated just $3.4 million domestically at the box office on Friday following a slew of negative reviews and divided word of mouth ahead of its opening. The film is shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest flops, with estimates of just $7.5 million domestically in its opening weekend.
Cruise also took to X on Saturday in support of “Digger,” writing that he was “honored to have had the opportunity to create this film alongside such talented artists.”
