‘Verity’ Expected to Make Strong Box Office Debut Against ‘Digger’

Avatar photoHrvoje Milakovic
Verity
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Adaptations of Colleen Hoover’s works have proven to be a reliable attraction at the box office. ‘It Ends With Us’ set a high standard with a $50 million opening, while ‘Regretting You’ debuted at $13.6 million and ‘Reminders of Him’ at $17.8 million. Now, the fourth Hoover book to hit theaters, ‘Verity‘, is gearing up for its own release.

The film arrives at a significant time for its star, Anne Hathaway, who recently appeared in ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’, which grossed $693 million, and Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’, which has made $1.72 billion. ‘Verity’ marks her fifth film of 2026, following ‘Mother Mary’ and ‘The End of Oak Street’.

According to Global Box Office, pre-sales for ‘Verity’ are looking promising, with projections estimating a domestic debut between $19 million and $25 million against a $40 million budget. The film is set to hit theaters on Friday, Oct. 2, and features Dakota Johnson alongside Hathaway.

Other estimates are in a similar range. Box Office Theory predicts a $20 million to $29 million opening, while columnist Todd Thatcher suggests a launch in the lower to mid-20s seems plausible. An earlier estimate from Box Office Pro, about two weeks ago, had it projected at $30 million to $40 million, indicating a slight adjustment in expectations.

The primary competition for ‘Verity’ is Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’, a Warner Bros. dark comedy that has received mixed reviews and is aiming for a similar opening. Some analysts believe ‘Verity’ may have the advantage, as films targeting female audiences have generally outperformed in recent years.

Additionally, there’s an interesting subplot: Hathaway is set to collaborate with Cruise in ‘Days of Thunder 2’ in summer 2028, so a successful run for ‘Verity’ could bolster her status as a box office draw heading into that project.

The storyline follows Lowen Ashleigh, portrayed by Johnson, a struggling writer tasked with completing the book series of bestselling author Verity Crawford, played by Hathaway, who is unable to continue due to an accident. While residing in the Crawford home, Lowen uncovers what appear to be Verity’s unsettling autobiographical notes, forcing her to navigate the line between fiction and reality, as well as manipulation and attraction.

Josh Hartnett plays Verity’s husband, Jeremy, and the cast also features Ismael Cruz Córdova, Brady Wagner, Asel Swango, and Daniel Echevarria. The film is rated R and has a runtime of 117 minutes.

Those anticipating a romantic tale may find themselves surprised. Johnson mentioned to Rotten Tomatoes that the romance depicted in the film is “not really healthy.” This aligns with the source material, a psychological thriller from 2018 that was initially self-published, later acquired by Grand Central Publishing in 2021, and sold over 1 million copies in 2023 alone.

Directed by Michael Showalter, who previously worked with Hathaway on ‘The Idea of You’, the film features a screenplay by Nick Antosca and Colleen Hoover, who also serves as a producer alongside Hathaway.

For a film with a $40 million budget, an opening in the low to mid $20 millions would be a solid start, especially with international ticket sales yet to come. SlashFilm has even suggested that the film could emerge as the sleeper hit of the fall season, citing its reasonable budget, built-in readership, and Hathaway’s current momentum.

A strong opening would also indicate that the fall movie calendar is not the slowdown some anticipated. Both ‘Verity’ and ‘Digger’ are launching after ‘Resident Evil’ set franchise records with a $60 million opening, suggesting that audiences are ready to return to theaters.

The true results will be revealed this weekend when the box office numbers are tallied. If pre-sales are any indication, Hathaway, Johnson, and Hartnett may be in for an exciting Friday night.

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