John Goodman Shares Honest Reaction to the Poor Reception of His Latest Film ‘Digger’

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John Goodman

Tom Cruise’s latest film, “Digger,” directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring John Goodman, was released on October 2. Unfortunately, the film underperformed at the box office and received a lukewarm critical response. Now, the former “Roseanne” star is reacting to the criticism, saying the poor word of mouth hurt the film.

John Goodman Says the Poor Movie Reviews ‘Killed’ ‘Digger’

Goodman defended the Cruise-led “Digger” in a November 2026 appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. When asked about the film’s negative reception, he said, “Yeah, it, uh, it hurt.”

After that, Goodman said that the poor reviews “kind of killed us before we opened,” and added that the critical reaction gave potential moviegoers “good reason for people to avoid it.”

“I’m proud of it, and I had a ball doing it. It was a good six months out of my life,” he said before adding that he considers the film to be a “huge swing.” Still, Goodman admitted he was “a big hypocrite” because he loves gas-powered cars with big engines. For context, “Digger” has an environmental message.

Still, despite not necessarily embodying the message of “Digger,” Goodman called the film “a nice wake-up call.” From there, the 74-year-old went on to say he believes people may come around to liking “Digger,” citing some of his past films that flopped initially but went on to gain acclaim.

“I think everything I’ve done for the Cohen brothers flopped, initially, so, who cares?” Goodman said. “I’ve still got people running up to me in the streets about Barton Fink, and, naturally, ‘Lebowski.'”

Latest Box Office For ‘Digger’

“Digger” was released in theaters on October 2 and had a reported budget of $160 million to $180 million. Per Box Office Mojo, the film opened with $8,001,056 in the U.S.

To date, the Cruise- and Goodman-led movie has made $49,026,582 at the international box office, with $ 18,026,582 coming from state-side audiences. Regarding the reaction to “Digger,” it currently holds a 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 341 reviews from professional critics.

However, its audience score is much better, at 77% based on more than 1,000 reviews. “Digger” has also received support from many in Hollywood, including beloved director Guillermo del Toro, comedian Bill Burr, and actress Anne Hathaway, who left a glowing Letterboxd review.

“I loved this brilliant movie. It’s smart and trippy and aggressive and funny and ambitious. It’s worth making the time see and decide for yourself what you make of it. 
For me? 10/10,” said Hathaway on the platform.

John Goodman Has Multiple Projects in the Works

Goodman is having a blockbuster year, even though “Digger” isn’t the hit many had hoped for. It was confirmed in late October that the “Roseanne” alum would join season three of Netflix’s “The Beast in Me,” playing Jack, the father of Claire Danes’s Aggie Wiggs.

Additionally, he’s been cast in season three of HBO’s “The Last of Us,” which is expected to premiere in 2027. That’s not all; regarding film, he has a horror flick, “Skeletons,” releasing in theaters on June 4, 2027, per The Wrap.