Box office flop prompts Melania Trump’s advisor to take a swipe at Tom Cruise
Melania Trump’s advisor is stirring the box-office pot, pointing out a Tom Cruise movie had a worse per-theater average — and that jab lands where it hurts.
Melania Trump’s longtime advisor Marc Beckman is using the rough launch of Digger to make a point about her documentary. In a post on social media, he zeroed in on opening-weekend per-theater averages, saying her film outpaced Tom Cruise ’s even though it opened on far fewer screens — and he put a number on it.
“On a per-theater basis, MELANIA outperformed Tom Cruise’s DIGGER by approximately 67%, despite opening in roughly half as many theaters. ”
Beckman also noted the screen gap: Digger opened in 3,321 theaters, which is 1,543 more than Melania’s 1,778-theater launch.
The math behind it
- Melania — 1,778 North American theaters; about $7.16 million opening weekend (≈ $4,000 per theater)
- Digger — 3,321 theaters; about $8 million domestic opening (≈ $2,400 per theater); $20 million worldwide including $12 million international
That stat gives Team Melania a tidy brag, but the documentary wasn’t a runaway box-office story overall. It ultimately took in about $16.7 million worldwide after Amazon MGM acquired it and backed it with a sizable marketing push.
Cruise’s counterpoint
Tom Cruise isn’t conceding anything after one weekend. On the On Film With Kevin McCarthy podcast, he argued that some movies build over time, pointing to slow-burn hits from earlier in his career like Rain Man and Born on the Fourth of July.
“They transcend… you just hope you can make a film that can last,”
That optimism faces stiff headwinds. Digger reportedly cost $160–$180 million to produce, plus a major marketing spend, and it opened to a C+ CinemaScore from audiences.