Did Tom Cruise Sell Out to Progressive Hollywood for Nothing?

Tom Cruise isn’t a conservative, as far as we know. He may not be a liberal, either.

He’s a Movie Star. Period. End of story. And that’s the way he likes it.

The A-lister learned to keep his private life private after a series of brutal interviews 20-odd years ago. He celebrated his romance with actress Katie Holmes by jumping on Oprah Winfrey’s couch. He also locked horns with NBC’s Matt Lauer over psychiatric drugs.

Both events happened in 2005.

Cruise later licked his wounds and went back to being a Movie Star. And it’s worked out beautifully for him and us.

“Top Gun: Maverick” proved it. He was the rare superstar who didn’t lecture us on illegal immigration, ICE or other red-hot button issues. His movies put entertainment first. No sucker punches aimed at the Heartland.

But boy, does he crave an Oscar, apparently.

Cruise signed up to play the lead character in “Digger,” Oscar-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new film. He’s Digger Rockwell, a cranky oil tycoon whose handiwork has caused an ecological disaster.

On the surface, it appears to be another Climate Change screed, the kind progressive Hollywood adores. That’s precisely the kind of film Cruise avoids.

He’s an entertainer, not a TED Talk type. But there’s a problem with that approach.

All the “Mission: Impossible” movies in the world won’t give him a Best Actor trophy. So now, he’s on a major media blitz (by his standards) to promote a movie with huge Oscar potential.

On paper.

“Digger” is starting to screen for professional critics, and the early responses aren’t good. Now, the typical “First Reaction” stories should be treated with a grain of salt. They’re almost always positive and rarely reflect a film’s quality.

Even “Supergirl” flew high, briefly, thanks to early word of mouth “reactions.” These First Reactions angles only matter if said reactions are mixed to poor.

The First Reactions to “Digger” are mixed to poor.

Digger: watching Alejandro González Iñárritu try to construct a joke is like watching Frank Gehry try to draw a straight line.

— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) September 22, 2026

It gets worse.

The early reviews confirm “Digger” is yet another Message Movie About Climate Change. We’ve seen dozens of them over the years, including the “Avatar” mega-franchise. And they collectively have yet to move the needle on the topic with the general public.

“Digger” likely won’t change that. Early reviews suggest that it tries its darndest.

DIGGER is an ambitious film sure to polarize audiences.

Tom Cruise gives an INCREDIBLE performance filled with energy. The movie is a warning about climate change and the people in power who refuse to stop it.

The stakes end up feeling much lower than they should, and you don’t… pic.twitter.com/XtERYp89V6

— Jonathan Sim (@TheJonathanSim) September 22, 2026

Digger’s speech defending oil while everyone hates on him is lowkey the best part of DIGGER and he gets the Col. Jessep award from me

— Kyle Smith (@rkylesmith) September 23, 2026

We expect Message Movies from most Hollywood actors. But Cruise?

Et tu, Tom?

He prides himself on entertainment first and foremost, so when he embraces a politically-charged movie in such a heavy-handed manner feels like a betrayal.

A betrayal that may backfire.

Early screenings find the film’s Oscar chances falling. Cruise may still get a Best Actor nomination, but a win is very far from the lock many assumed. Plus, the film’s modest box office predictions are in free fall.

Up until recently, “Digger” was staring down a $19 million opening weekend. That’s not good given the film’s budget (a number under serious debate, but one that starts at $125 million). This week’s crush of poor early reviews are sinking those numbers.

Box Office Theory has “Digger” opening to an anemic $10 million., according to analysis from the valuable World of Reel. And almost all the critics agree that this won’t be a populist hit by any stretch.

Movies don’t require huge box office numbers to snag Oscar nominations. But it helps. A box office disaster does just the opposite.

Cruise may have wanted an Oscar so badly he betrayed his brand to get it. Now, he might have to wait until next year – or even further down the road – for that special night to arrive.