Warner Bros. Tests Controversial Social Media Push to Save Tom Cruise's 'Digger' After a disastrous opening, Warner Bros. employs a divisive X‑based campaign for Tom Cruise's film 'Digger'-praising fan reviews while attacking U.S. critics-in a bid to redirect a polarised audience and revive box‑office sales. Warner Bros. has launched a controversial new marketing campaign for its recent box‑office disappointment 'Digger,' a Tom Cruise‑starring film that has struggled to find an audience both domestically and overseas. The film, co‑directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, opened in an abysmal $8 million in U.S. theatres-a record low for a Cruise release in nearly two decades-after a $125 million production budget and an additional $100 million spent on global marketing efforts. In an attempt to salvage the franchise, the studio has shifted its social‑media strategy toward a more confrontational approach, specifically targeting the criticism that has swirled around the movie.Digger Campaign Targets Critics On XOn the platform X, the official 'Digger' account began actively reposting glowing fan comments that praised the film's ambition and visual style. The page also engaged viewers with in‑character responses that mimicked Cruise's oil tycoon persona, using phrases such as 'HIT 'EM WITH THE HARD TRUTH.' One particular post that directly attacked U.S. critics was promptly removed by Warner Bros. , a move that only intensified the debate about the film's public relations tactics. Earlier this week, a teaser video appeared on X that juxtaposed Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell with Riz Ahmed's character in a confrontation, wherein the latter retorts, 'Not anymore' to a politically charged message delivered by Cruise.The clip was followed by a rapid montage of international critic quotes, each tagged with the nationality of the reviewer, ranging from a Mexican YouTuber who called the movie 'Epic, Extraordinary, and Biting' to an American site that described it as 'Grotesque, Deliberately Tacky.' A French critic praised it as 'a Gem of Intelligence,' while The New York Post labeled it an 'Unintentionally Bad Movie. ' The clip closed with the protagonist declaring, 'You decide which! '. Although the imaginative campaign brought a ready share of online chatter, domestic box‑office data suggests that the strategy has yet to translate into ticket sales.International Praise Divides US AudiencesIn its opening weekend, 'Digger' earned only $12 million from 74 countries worldwide. Social‑media activity continues to focus on polarizing the audience: the X page is reposting positive fan reviews and strategically encouraging comments that accuse American audiences of being overly critical, while emphasizing that European viewers have been relatively kinder.Notably, some British critics, such as Brian Viner of The Daily Mail, have offered mixed but measurable praise, awarding the film four stars and describing it as "bold and often brilliant" despite its perceived self‑indulgence and bewildering plot twists. Similarly, Nicholas Barber of the BBC highlighted Cruise's larger‑than‑life performance and the film's grim environmental message, although he also admitted that its excesses could be difficult for the average viewer.Contrast this with the harsh reception from several U.S. commentators, most prominently Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian who granted the film only two stars in a scathing review that likened 'Digger' to 'Don't Look Up,' suggesting that the movie's political agenda overshadows any cinematic merit. Bradshaw also criticized Warner Bros. for deleting a promotional post that seemed to pit American viewpoints against European ones, arguing that the studio's surprising shift only underlined the film's problematic messaging.Polarized Reception Threatens Franchise TurnaroundThe broader implication is that while the studio's creative marketing attempts aim to shore up a faltering franchise, the polarized critical landscape remains firm: American audiences and critics have grown skeptical of the film's genre and narrative choices, a sentiment that the campaign's anti‑America rhetoric may only deepen. In light of this barrage of divisive commentary, the studio's new PR direction appears to be an attempt to rally a segment of the audience through irony and provocation.Whether this gamble will ultimately pay off is still unclear; the current data shows that the film has struggled to secure significant revenue outside the U.S., and it remains uncertain whether a confrontational stance can re‑engage skeptical viewers or convert passive audiences into ticket‑buyers. Nevertheless, the 'Digger' marketing experiment underlines a growing trend of Hollywood studios leveraging social media to shape narratives and influence the framing of a movie's reception.Whether the strategy will yield a turnaround or accelerate the film's decline remains to be seen.