Tom Cruise and Riz Ahmed in “Digger.”
Warner Bros. Pictures
Tom Cruise’s apocalyptic satire Digger is new in theaters, but unlike the iconic actor’s previous big-screen adventures, the streaming release of the the movie should come a lot quicker.
Digger is Cruise’s first release stemming from the strategic partnership deal the movie icon struck with Warner Bros. Discovery in 2024. And while Cruise has worked with Warner Bros. on such films as Edge of Tomorrow, Rock of Ages, Eyes Wide Shut and Risky Business, he’s also been closely aligned with Paramount Pictures throughout his career with his Top Gun and Mission: Impossible films.
Of course, in an ironic bit of timing, Warner Bros. and Paramount will soon exist under the very big corporate umbrella of David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. will no doubt affect the way things work for the studio going forward, including the releases of its films on streaming.
In recent years, Cruise — who is one of the movie industry’s biggest proponents of the theatrical experience — has marched to his own beat when it comes to the releases of his films on digital streaming via premium video on demand. As such, while most Paramount Pictures releases had a minimum one-month theatrical window before Ellison took charge and stretched the period to 45 days before films hit PVOD, Cruise’s films stayed in theaters for a minimum of three months before they became available in the home entertainment marketplace.
The most recent example of a three-month theatrical window for a Cruise film was last year, when Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was released in theaters on May 23, 2025, but did not arrive on PVOD until Aug. 19, 2025.
Tom Cruise in “Digger.”
Warner Bros. Pictures
‘Digger’ Will Arrive On PVOD A Lot Sooner Than Tom Cruise’s Paramount Films
Digger presents a new dilemma for a Tom Cruise film release. Unlike Top Gun: Maverick and his most recent Mission: Impossible films, Digger bombed at the box office, earning $8 million in its dismal opening weekend.
As such, if Cruise insists on keeping Digger in theaters for the same amount of time as his second Top Gun film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the film will be facing dwindling crowds in show houses a lot sooner than usual.
Instead, it would be much better for Digger’s bottom line to pivot to digital streaming via premium video on demand to open up a new revenue stream for Warner Bros.
Prior to the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger, most Warner Bros. Pictures releases would have an exclusive month-long theatrical window (roughly 31-32 days) before arriving on PVOD. There have been exceptions to the rule, however, but not often. In the past year, the theatrical window has only been extended for two of the studio’s releases: One Battle After Another and Wuthering Heights, which arrived on PVOD 45 and 48 days, respectively, after their theatrical premieres.
What remains to be seen is how soon David Ellison implements the 45-day theatrical window to Warner Bros. releases, which would match Paramount Pictures’ current 45-day theater-to-PVOD release strategy.
Digger is the final film being released by Warner Bros. Pictures before it officially joins Paramount Pictures under Ellison’s Skydance Media umbrella on Oct. 6. With that, it’s possible that it could follow Warner Bros. PVOD release strategy and arrive on digital streaming on Nov. 3, since most new releases arrive on digital on Tuesdays.
However, since Digger is a high-profile release akin to One Battle After Another and will no doubt launch an awards season campaign, a bigger theatrical window is likely (even with its box office woes). As such, viewers can expect Digger to have a 45-day theatrical-to-PVOD window and debut in the home entertainment marketplace on Nov. 17.
Since Digger is a Warner Bros. release, the film’s Pay-1 window when it comes to subscription streaming video on demand will be on HBO Max, which of course is Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming platform — for now. Only time will tell whether HBO Max and Paramount+ will merge into one giant streaming platform or remain the same as part of Skydance.
Generally, there is a 77- to 84-day window between the time a Warner Bros. film premieres in theaters and the time it arrives on SVOD on HBO Max. Should Digger follow that same release pattern, viewers can expect the film to arrive on HBO Max on either Dec. 18 or Dec. 25, since new films typically debut on the streaming platform on Fridays.
Currently, the only way you can see Digger — directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemmons — is in theaters, so check your local listings for showtimes.
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