Tom Cruise’s latest film, the apocalyptic satire *Digger*, premiered in theaters as the inaugural release under his 2024 strategic partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. This release marks a shift from Cruise’s longtime relationship with Paramount Pictures, where his films traditionally enjoyed an extended theatrical run of about three months before moving to premium video on demand (PVOD). However, with *Digger*'s poor box office performance, opening to just $8 million, expectations are that the movie will follow Warner Bros.’ shorter theatrical-to-PVOD window, accelerating its arrival on digital platforms.

Historically, Warner Bros. maintained a typical one-month exclusive theatrical window before films became available on PVOD, with a few exceptions recently pushing that window to 45 days. Cruise’s previous Paramount films like *Top Gun: Maverick* and *Mission: Impossible* installments stayed much longer in theaters, exemplified by the three-month wait before digital release for *Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning*. But given *Digger*’s weak theatrical turnout, a prolonged run is unlikely, favoring an earlier transition to PVOD as a critical new revenue stream.

With Warner Bros. set to merge into Paramount under David Ellison’s Skydance Media umbrella on October 6, 2026, *Digger* stands as the last Warner Bros. Pictures release before the consolidation. This merger may adopt Paramount’s 45-day theatrical release strategy, meaning *Digger* could debut on PVOD as early as November 17, a notably quicker turnaround than Cruise’s prior films. The film’s Pay-1 subscription streaming window will be on HBO Max, with an expected arrival roughly 77 to 84 days after its theatrical premiere, placing its streaming debut close to mid or late December.

*Digger* features an impressive cast including Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jesse Plemons, under Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s direction. Despite its box office struggles, Warner Bros. will likely support the film with a longer theatrical window to preserve its awards season potential. For now, the only way to watch *Digger* remains in theaters as digital and streaming releases are anticipated shortly within the evolving framework of Warner Bros. and Paramount’s merged distribution strategies.