Satirists employ irony, exaggeration, and humor to ridicule their targets.

Audiences may fail to appreciate the satiric intentions of authors and filmmakers.

"Digger" is the latest in a long line of satiric misfires.

Few actors are a more reliable box-office draws than Tom Cruise: Worldwide, his films have grossed over $13 billion during his career. Director Alejandro Iñárritu has twice been honored with the Academy Award for best director (for "Birdman" and "The Revenant"). A movie that combines their formidable talents seems like a sure-fire winner—at least on paper.

But things didn’t turn out that way. In early October, "Digger" was released theatrically, and it generated domestic ticket sales of just $8 million over its opening weekend.

After three weekends, the film has earned just $42 million worldwide—far short of the revenue needed to recoup its production and marketing costs (estimated at $300 to $350 million in total). It is being widely described as a box-office bomb.

What went wrong? In hindsight, it’s easy to point fingers. Perhaps it was the film’s idiosyncratic trailer, or maybe a confusing marketing campaign was to blame.

But another reason for its underperformance may be the film’s genre. Digger is a satirical black comedy, and satire is notoriously difficult to execute—or even to be recognized as such.

Satirists have traditionally used tools like irony, exaggeration, and humor to lampoon their targets.........

© Psychology Today