Critically panned films have previously secured Oscar nominations, offering hope for 'Digger'
Despite poor reviews and a weak box-office debut, the upcoming climate-change satire 'Digger' may still earn Oscar nominations, as past low-rated movies have done.
The Warner Bros. climate-change satire "Digger" opened with low box-office returns and has seen its Oscar odds decline, falling out of contention for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor, while Tom Cruise remains a contender for Best Actor. The film holds a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 46.
Industry analysts note that unfavorable reviews do not always preclude awards recognition. Warner Bros. previously released "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" (2011), which earned a 45% Rotten Tomatoes rating yet secured nominations for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor, as well as four Critics Choice nominations, with Thomas Horn winning Best Young Performer. Netflix's "Don't Look Up" (2021) received a 56% rating but was nominated for four Oscars, four Golden Globes and six Critics Choice awards, including a nod for Ariana Grande's original song. The 2018 biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" held a 60% rating and received five Oscar nominations, winning four categories, though it did not win Best Picture.
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, whose previous seven features have all earned Oscar nominations, is credited with strong technical elements in "Digger," including cinematography, costume, sound and makeup. The film remains among the top three candidates for Best Makeup & Hairstyling due to Tom Cruise's transformation into an aging oil executive.
Several of Iñárritu's Oscar-winning peers have publicly supported the project. Alfonso Cuarón referenced classic films that initially faced negative reviews, Guillermo del Toro expressed a preference for artistic merit over chart performance, Anne Hathaway described the movie as "brilliant," and Jane Fonda encouraged Iñárritu to continue taking bold risks.
The question remains whether such endorsements will translate into Oscar nominations for "Digger" despite its current critical and commercial challenges.