Verity, the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s psychological thriller, opened at No. 1 at the domestic box office with $32.6 million from 3,510 theaters over the October 2–4 weekend. Starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, the film added about $30 million overseas for a global start of roughly $62 million.
Key Takeaways
- Verity earned $15.1 million on opening Friday, including $4.5 million from Thursday previews, then $10 million Saturday and $7.5 million Sunday.
- The opening is the second-largest for a Colleen Hoover adaptation, behind the $50 million debut of It Ends With Us in 2024.
- Verity was produced on a reported $40 million budget, putting its worldwide opening at roughly 1.5 times its production cost.
- Tom Cruise’s Digger opened fifth with $8 million, his lowest domestic opening in 19 years.
- The weekend’s top 10 films grossed $91.2 million, down 22.7% from the prior weekend.
- Verity also opened No. 1 in the U.K. and Ireland with £3.3 million ($4.5 million).
A Front-Loaded Opening Built on a Loyal Readership
Verity’s daily numbers show an audience that arrived early. Of its $32.6 million three-day total, $15.1 million came on Friday, close to half the weekend, and that figure included $4.5 million from Thursday night previews. Saturday added $10 million and Sunday $7.5 million.
That pattern is typical of films driven by a built-in fan base. Hoover’s novels have sold to a large, highly engaged readership, much of it organized through online book communities, and those readers tend to show up on the first night. The $9,293 per-theater average reflects solid demand across a wide release.
The reception split along familiar lines. Critics were largely unenthusiastic, with a 34% Rotten Tomatoes score, and opening-night audiences gave the film a C+ CinemaScore. Neither held back the opening, though both raise questions about how well Verity will hold in its second weekend once the most dedicated fans have already seen it.
Verity’s Place in the Colleen Hoover Film Catalog
Verity is the fourth theatrical film based on one of Hoover’s books, and its debut lands in the upper tier of that run. It Ends With Us remains the benchmark, opening to $50 million in 2024 and finishing with $349.7 million worldwide. Regretting You opened to just over $8 million on Halloween weekend 2025 before reaching $90.4 million globally, while Reminders of Him opened to $17.97 million in March 2026 and finished at $89.2 million worldwide.
Verity’s $32.6 million start nearly doubles the opening of Reminders of Him from just seven months earlier. It also matches the romance-genre comparison point of Wuthering Heights, which opened to $32.8 million earlier this year and reached $84 million domestically. For Amazon MGM Studios, the opening against a reported $40 million budget gives the film a clear path to profitability, especially with several international markets still to come.
Digger Opens Fifth as Holdovers Fill Out the Chart
The weekend’s other wide release moved in the opposite direction. Digger, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s satire starring Tom Cruise, opened to $8 million from 3,321 theaters, landing fifth and marking Cruise’s lowest domestic opening in 19 years. The film added $12 million overseas for a $20 million global start.
Holdovers made up the rest of the top five. Resident Evil took second with $12.5 million in its third weekend, lifting its domestic total to $124.8 million. Heart of the Beast was third with $11 million and $38 million to date, and Primetime finished fourth with $8 million, bringing its total to $34 million. Further down the chart, DreamWorks Animation’s critically praised Filipino folklore adventure Forgotten Island earned $7.2 million in its second weekend, reaching $23.6 million domestically.
What the Weekend Says About the Fall Box Office
The overall domestic market grossed $98.6 million across 66 releases, down about 21% from the prior weekend but running ahead of the same weekend in 2025 by roughly 19%, based on studio estimates. That year-over-year gain points to a healthier fall than last October, when Halloween weekend was led by a single title earning just over $8 million.
Summer holdovers continue to add to 2026’s total. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, still playing after 64 days, has passed $950 million domestically, and The Odyssey became the first R-rated film to gross $1 billion at the international box office during its run.
Verity’s international rollout is still building. Taiwan and the CIS region open next weekend, followed by Korea on October 22 and Japan on November 6, and the film is set to screen at the Tokyo International Film Festival in late October. Next weekend will show whether Verity’s front-loaded opening holds up, or whether word of mouth trims its second-week total.
FAQs
How much did Verity make on its opening weekend?
Verity earned $32.6 million domestically from 3,510 theaters over the October 2–4, 2026, weekend. With about $30 million from international markets, its global opening reached roughly $62 million.
Who stars in Verity?
Verity stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. Michael Showalter directed the film, which Amazon MGM Studios released in the U.S. on October 2, 2026.
What is the highest-grossing Colleen Hoover movie?
It Ends With Us is the highest-grossing Colleen Hoover adaptation, with a $50 million domestic opening in 2024 and $349.7 million worldwide.
How did Digger do at the box office?
Digger opened fifth with $8 million domestically and $20 million worldwide, the lowest domestic opening for Tom Cruise in 19 years.
