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Digger may have become one of Hollywood's biggest flops ever, but there's still a chance that Tom Cruise could emerge from the project with his first Oscar.
Despite the politically-charged satire dividing critics and tanking at the box office, Cruise, 64, is still a hot favorite to land a Best Actor nomination at next year's awards.
According to awards tracker Gold Derby, Cruise is currently ranked in the top five for a potential Oscar nomination.
In fact, Cruise is ahead of a handful of major contenders, including Ryan Gosling for Project Hail Mary, Pedro Pascal for Behemoth!, and rising star Anthony Ippolito, who is winning praise for his performance as Sylvester Stallone in the biographical drama I Play Rocky.
The current frontrunner is John Malkovich in Wild Horse Nine, followed by Matt Damon in The Odyssey, Andrew Scott in Elsinore, and Robert Pattinson in Primetime.
Cruise has yet to win an Oscar, although he was previously nominated for 1989's Born on the Fourth of July, 1996's Jerry Maguire, and 1999's Magnolia.
Digger may have become one of Hollywood's biggest flops ever, but there's still a chance that Tom Cruise could emerge from the project with his first Oscar
While the odds of Digger earning a Best Picture nod have plummeted following the film's release, Gold Derby still predicts that the divisive film could earn nominations in some smaller categories like Best Cinematography.
Cruise is ignoring the negative press around Digger so far and seems quietly focused on a subtle Oscars campaign.
The Hollywood veteran has already done more press for Digger than many of his previous films, which includes multiple talk show appearances and a cover story in GQ magazine.
He's also enthusiastically attended countless screenings and premieres for the film.
After Digger historically bombed in its opening weekend, pulling in just $8million domestically despite its estimated budget of more than $160million, Cruise cheerfully defended the film in a gushing Instagram post.
'Digger is officially in theaters and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to create this film alongside such talented artists,' he wrote.
'Thank you to the entire cast and crew for your dedication, hard work, and joy. The experience was truly unforgettable and I'm so proud of what we created.'
During an interview on the On Film With Kevin McCarthy podcast, Cruise also said that he wasn't bothered by the film's initial box office performance.
Cruise has continued to cheerfully promote the film and he's still in the top five contenders for an Oscar nomination at next year's ceremony
Critics have been divided by the political satire, but it has started to win more praise online over the past week
'When I am making [movies], I'm not going, 'Opening weekend!' I feel very much like we're going to make something that is a lasting piece of cinema,' he said.
'So many things happen when you open a movie. I was fortunate to release movies in the '80s and '90s, when movies would stay in the theater for a year,' he continued.
'With Rain Man and Born on the Fourth of July, these movies would just play and play for a year. How can I make a film that can translate and last and evolve? And I feel that way... that is Digger, it's one of those movies.'
It should be noted that opinions on Digger have already started to shift following its initial wave of scathing reviews.
A handful of outlets, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Britain's Sight & Sound have lavished the film with praise.
The current Best Actor frontrunner is John Malkovich in Wild Horse Nine
Daily Mail's own Brian Viner also heaped gushing praise on Digger, scoring it four out of five stars.
It's become especially popular on social media, where many moviegoers and professional film influencers have hailed it as a 'masterpiece'.
Three-time Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro has also defended Digger, calling it 'daring, bold and cinematically complex'.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant), Digger follows the world's most powerful man, eccentric oil tycoon Digger Rockwell (played by Cruise), as he races to fix a catastrophic ecological disaster that he himself unleashed.
The film co-stars John Goodman as the dictatorial President of the United States.
English (US) ·