Anne Hathaway becomes latest in growing number of stars to back Tom Cruise’s box office bomb

Anne Hathaway has joined a growing chorus of stars praising Tom Cruise’s divisive new movie, Digger, after it bombed at the box office on its opening weekend.

The black comedy, written and directed by Alejandro Iñárritu, stars Cruise as a powerful oil tycoon whose drilling operation sets off a catastrophic environmental disaster.

The film has been widely panned by critics — something the distributors themselves have poked fun at in the promotion of the movie — and earned just $8 million at the box office on its opening weekend against a $160 million budget.

However, in a social media push reminiscent of Andrea Riseborough’s controversial 2023 Oscars campaign, a number of stars have come out in support of Cruise’s movie.

Here are the celebrities attempting to generate a wave of positive word of mouth around a film that has struggled to win over critics and audiences alike.

Anne Hathaway

“I loved this brilliant movie. It’s smart and trippy and aggressive and funny and ambitious,” Hathaway wrote on the film reviewing platform, Letterboxd. “It’s worth making the time see and decide for yourself what you make of it. For me? 10/10.”

Mandy Patinkin

In an effusive video shared on social media, The Princess Bride star called Digger an “instant classic” and said it was “one of the greatest pieces of film I have ever seen in my entire life.”

“This is an incredible piece of work. It puts the heart and soul back into the cinema. Everything we all love about cinema, this is it. Please, please, please, run! Don’t walk, run, and see this film,” he continued.

In the caption of his post, Patinkin addressed the film’s poor reception directly, writing: “This movie being slammed by reviewers is beyond comprehension. Anyone who is dragging this piece through the mud should get a brain scan or see it again as they must not have been paying attention. This is one of the most daring, original, provocative pieces of art I’ve seen and bravo to every person that laid a hand on it. I’d have given my right arm to be an extra in this movie (I’m right handed).

“This craft, like many other things nowadays, feels in peril. The systems at play encourage mass appeal above all else. Digger is a battle cry for art, for waking up, for demanding an actual attention span of your audience and for the miracle of having a point of view. To horrify, delight, wildly surprise repeatedly and inspire us to fight for our world before it’s too late is an incredible accomplishment. Don’t listen to rotten tomatoes. Find an actual person who saw this movie. Listen to them. Tomato tomaaato! F*** that stupid nonsense percentage bullshit. It’s so dumb. Go see this movie.”

Glen Powell

Powell, who starred opposite Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, appeared alongside his old co-star at Digger’s Los Angeles premiere on October 1.

He later took to Instagram to heap praise on the movie, writing: “DIGGER!! You rarely get taken on a ride like this in the theater. Visionary spectacle, fearless performances, and getting to experience two of the greats, Tom Cruise and Alejandro Iñárritu, committing ferociously and unapologetically to their vision. Pure cinematic joy. This is one [that] is going to stand the test of time.”

Jane Fonda

“My friends and I enjoyed Digger and salute Tom Cruise and Alejandro Iñárritu,” Fonda shared on Instagram Thursday.

She continued: “The film allows us to witness another side of Tom Cruise’s courage. It was a big, brave risk for him to take on this role and he was very good in it and very brave. He went all out, 100% owning the part. So did John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, and Jesse Plemmons.

“The film finds an original and, yes, risky way to wake us up about the climate crisis and I hope and pray word of mouth will bring folks into this film because it is far out creatively and closer to the truth than any such film made thus far. Hugs, kisses and bravissimo to all involved.”

Ron Howard

Apollo 13 director Howard responded to Cruise on X, writing: “Impressive on so many levels. Great twists… Outstanding performance, Tom. Your work in Digger has to be seen, thought about and discussed to be fully appreciated. It’s one of those rare ones. Full of surprises and great choices. Bravo.”

Guillermo del Toro

The Shape of Water director defended Digger on X after entertainment news site IGN shared a post reading: “The theater experience won’t change your mind on Digger, and the laughs that are there still will be when it hits HBO Max.”

Del Toro hit back: “Entirely Petty headline. 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.”

Alfonso Cuarón

Rounding out the triumvirate of Mexican filmmakers, Alfonso Cuarón shared a series of scathing reviews of films that later achieved widespread acclaim, including Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Metropolis and The Shining.