“Digger”was supposed to be Tom Cruise’s big Oscar swing. He walked the London premiere with Prince William and Kate Middleton, and the whole rollout screamed awards season. Then the press screening on the Warner Bros. lot got mixed reactions, and the tracking came back at just $15 million for the domestic opening weekend. That’s not the momentum anyone was hoping for, especially with Cruise sitting at four Oscar nominations and zero competitive wins, honorary Oscar aside. He’s now fourth in the Best Actor race behind Andrew Scott, John Malkovich, and Matt Damon.
The whispers coming out of Hollywood aren’t subtle either. One insider said that despite the massive PR push, audiences weren’t jumping on the couch for the performance. The other quote making the rounds is that fans want Cruise as the action hero, not buried under prosthetics and makeup. For an actor whose entire brand is doing the impossible, this one might be the rare stunt that doesn’t land.
The conversation has also drifted into his personal life, with renewed online chatter about his estrangement from daughter Suri and his Scientology membership. Hollywood still clearly adores the guy, but the Academy might be another story. So tell us, is Tom Cruise still due for that competitive Oscar, or is the honorary one as close as he gets?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.