Digger’s first reactions were all over the place. Many who have seen it either absolutely love it or they really, really don’t. And those polarizing reactions, as well as Digger’s poor box office performance, have been highly talked about following its premiere on the 2026 movie schedule. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu is aware of what everyone has been saying about his film, too, and now he’s shared his take on the matter.
For various reasons, Digger has been polarizing, and it’s left audiences (myself included) with a lot of thoughts. Objectively, it’s a big swing of a movie that puts Tom Cruise in a role we haven’t seen him in before, and it has a lot to say about how we treat the environment, political leadership, power, money, art and more. While there are plenty of people who appreciate the swing Iñárritu took – like Guillermo Del Toro, who called out the “petty” haters – many do not.
So, during an interview with the NYT, the director was asked if he worries about people not getting his movie. In response, he said:
I think definitely it’s an uncommon film. It’s a provoking film.
He went on to say they kind of “expected” this reaction. In fact, Digger’s negative reviews were used in its marketing to prompt viewers to see the movie and make up their minds for themselves.
In the filmmaker’s words, Digger is not “ice cream”; it’s not a sweet movie that will provide “more certainty in the storytelling.” So, he knew people might have strong (and negative) feelings toward this film about an oil tycoon. However, Alejandro G. Iñárritu will take these passionate reactions over middling ones:
I prefer that to the lukewarm reception.
Well, it’s kind of like the saying “all press is good press.” He’d rather have people talking passionately about his film, even if it’s not positive, than have people feel just kind of meh about it. It’s also worth noting that Digger is not disliked by everyone, with Ron Howard even calling it “impressive on so many levels.”
Plus, this kind of strong reaction is what Digger is asking audiences for. It wants to provoke us and rub us the wrong way, I think. In fact, in NYT’s report, it’s explained that the film is a big swing and a “roiling satire” with a twist that leaves us wondering what’s true and what’s not and performances that are “high-pitched.” Following that explanation in the story, the director said:
Everything is just to get attention, to get likes, to be uncomfortable, to be annoying — the culture that we are living in.
It’s clear that Digger is showing us a heightened and scary version of a world that’s not totally unlike our own. I left feeling like I was supposed to feel unsettled and annoyed.
So, I can see where both audiences and the director are coming from, and ultimately, it’s made for one very interesting conversation about this film led by Tom Cruise.
