Ben Affleck has defended Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, after its disappointing box-office performance sparked discussion across Hollywood. Speaking on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Affleck criticised those celebrating the film’s commercial struggles, comparing the reaction to the kind of bullying often seen in high school.

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Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Digger has reportedly underperformed at the domestic box office, marking Cruise’s lowest domestic opening in 19 years. While its financial performance has attracted attention, Affleck argued that focusing exclusively on a film’s losses overlooks the ambition and creativity behind the project.

Affleck described the public reaction as resembling schoolyard bullying, saying that people seemed eager to celebrate the film’s failure. He pointed out that Digger was an ambitious project made by talented filmmakers, suggesting that its commercial difficulties should not automatically become a reason to dismiss the effort behind it.

The actor also warned that the industry could face a more serious creative problem if filmmakers were discouraged from taking risks. According to Affleck, celebrating every box-office disappointment could encourage studios to prioritise familiar formulas over original ideas. He argued that ambitious films sometimes fail commercially, but that possibility should not prevent filmmakers from attempting something different.

Affleck’s comments highlight the tension between artistic ambition and commercial expectations in the modern film industry. Major productions often face intense scrutiny over opening-weekend collections, production budgets and worldwide earnings. While these figures matter to studios and investors, they do not necessarily capture a film’s creative value or long-term cultural impact.

The debate surrounding Digger also raises questions about how audiences and the entertainment industry respond to experimental filmmaking. A project that takes an unconventional approach may struggle to attract viewers initially, but Affleck’s argument is that creative risks are necessary for cinema to evolve. If studios respond to every failure by becoming more cautious, the range of films reaching theatres could become increasingly limited.

For Cruise, whose career includes numerous commercially successful films, Digger represents a different kind of box-office challenge. Its performance has drawn attention not only to the financial risks associated with ambitious productions but also to the broader conversation about what audiences expect from Hollywood.

Affleck’s defence does not change the film’s reported commercial results, but it challenges the idea that a box-office failure should be treated as a public victory. His central argument is that filmmakers need room to take creative risks, even when those risks do not deliver the expected financial returns.