Ben Affleck is the latest celebrity to defend Tom Cruise’s “Digger” amid its disastrous box office run, but he’s doing so by warning moviegoers of the exact consequences of destroying the film. Mainly, publicly disparaging “Digger” will only lead to major Hollywood studios making “crappy” films that don’t stand out from each other (i.e. more IP and franchise).
“It’s kind of like high school bullying, with people who hadn’t even seen the movies. Honestly, you’re seeing that happening now, with ‘Digger,'” Affleck said. “Everyone wants to celebrate this bomb like it’s the most exciting thing that could happen. And you think it’s a pretty ambitious and interesting film made by interesting people who are talented.”
“Everyone wants to count money, what they lost or whatever. To me, I just think if you punish films that take risks, guess what you’re going to get? A bunch of shitty homogenized films,” he continued. “You can’t do something interesting without taking a big hit. And that means you’re going to look bad sometimes.”
Affleck has weathered his own box office failures during his decades-long career. “Digger,” from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, stars Cruis as an oil tycoon facing the end of the world after one of his platforms in Antarctica malfunctions and sends ice sheets hurtling toward Europe. The film has been sharply divided among critics (53% on Rotten Tomatoes) and has only grossed $15 million at the domestic box office since its October 2 opening. With a production budget of over $160 million and a marketing budget set at $100 million, “Digger” would need to earn $350 million just to break even in theaters. The latest report from Variety “Digger” caused Warner Bros. to lose. approximately $245 million, making it one of the costliest failures in studio history.
Amid the film’s unfortunate box office success, various Hollywood celebrities and industry names rallied behind Cruise and the film. Neil Young recently posted on his website that “Digger” is “the best movie I’ve ever seen.”
“In my opinion, none of the reviews I have read describe this film adequately,” Young wrote. “They seem to miss the overall effect and most of them are negative. This film lives in an art world. This is its own best review. Don’t read any other reviews and forget about this one before seeing ‘Digger’. It cannot be considered a Tom Cruise film – that would be misleading. I would describe it as a film of our times…I don’t consider this film a commercial venture. It’s more of an artful film of our times. The things that are said in ” Digger” are a direct reflection of today’s political and social world. The film is so full of clever expressions and radical changes that it is perhaps too difficult to accept for those who expect a commercial film like the one we are accustomed to today.
Mandy Patinkin agrees with Young, as the “Homeland” star and Tony winner hailed Cruise’s latest film as an “instant classic” and “one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” adding, “It’s an incredible piece of work. It puts the heart and soul back into cinema. Everything we all love about cinema is that. Please, please, run! Don’t walk, don’t Don’t run and see this movie.”
“I loved this brilliant film. It’s smart, trippy, aggressive, funny and ambitious,” Hathaway wrote on Letterboxd. “It’s worth taking the time to see and decide for yourself what you think. For me? 10/10.”
Watch Affleck’s full interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in the video below.
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