Tom Cruise can still make audiences run to theatres, but it seems they need a familiar reason to do it. His latest outing Digger has opened to disappointing numbers, reportedly earning only around $20 million worldwide in its first weekend despite its huge budget and marketing spend.
The contrast with his recent Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is striking. That film crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in India, while Digger managed only around Rs 1.5 crore in its first three days. The difference says something about where Cruise’s box office strength stands today.
For years, Cruise himself was the selling point. Now, Ethan Hunt and the Mission: Impossible franchise appear to have a different kind of pull. Audiences know the world, the action and what they are getting with Mission: Impossible. A new Cruise film has to create that excitement all over again.
That does not mean the superstar has lost his market. But it looks like his name may no longer be enough to guarantee a big opening, especially when the film does not come with a familiar franchise.
For Cruise, that could be the more interesting challenge ahead. Can he make audiences excited about a new character again, or has Ethan Hunt become bigger than Tom Cruise himself?
