Colleen Hoover's 'Verity' Dominates Charts, Eyes $35M Box Office Debut!

Anne Hathaway is making a significant return to the top of the box office charts with the cinematic release of “Verity,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s acclaimed bestseller. The film is projected to achieve a robust domestic debut of $30 million to $35 million from 3,510 theaters, a performance strong enough to mark Hathaway’s third number one opening of the year, following her roles in this summer’s blockbusters “The Devil Wears Prada 2″ and “The Odyssey.” Hathaway has also recently starred in the psychodrama “Mother Mary” and the sci-fi thriller “The End of Oak Street,” demonstrating a diverse range of projects.

In a surprising turn of events, “Verity” is expected to significantly outperform Tom Cruise and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s R-rated environmental satire “Digger,” which is also debuting this weekend. “Digger” is shaping up to be one of the year’s most substantial box office disappointments, with opening weekend projections ranging from a modest $12 million to $15 million across 3,300 North American screens. This stark contrast highlights the unpredictable nature of the current film market.

“Verity” represents the latest of Colleen Hoover’s literary works to be adapted for the big screen. Other successful adaptations include Sony’s 2024 sleeper hit “It Ends With Us,” which had the biggest debut with $50 million and grossed $350 million globally; Paramount’s 2025 drama “Regretting You,” with a $13.6 million debut; and Universal’s 2026 romance “Reminders of Him,” which opened to $17 million. Hoover’s film adaptations, including “Verity” which was produced for $40 million, are generally considered low-risk investments for studios due to their modest budgets and dedicated fan base.

For Amazon MGM, “Verity” serves as a welcome success, helping the studio rebound after the global flop of “Masters of the Universe,” which earned only $113 million against a $200 million budget. Amazon MGM achieved its first major triumph in the spring with Ryan Gosling’s astronaut drama “Project Hail Mary,” which garnered $684 million globally. The studio’s upcoming slate includes “I Play Rocky,” a film about the making of the 1976 classic “Rocky,” and the heist thriller “How to Rob a Bank,” starring Nicholas Hoult and Pete Davidson.

The film “Verity,” directed by Michael Showalter, features Anne Hathaway alongside Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. Its narrative centers on struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, who is hired by Jeremy Crawford, the husband of famed author Verity Crawford. Verity, having been gravely injured in a car accident, is presumed comatose, and Lowen’s task is to complete the remaining books in Verity’s popular series. During her work, Lowen uncovers an unfinished autobiography by Verity, filled with bone-chilling admissions that the author never intended for anyone to read, including a detailed account of the night her family’s life was irrevocably altered. Reviews for “Verity” have been mixed, with some critics, such as Variety’s Guy Lodge, describing it as a “listless” and “unintentionally funny tale.”

Conversely, “Digger” continues a difficult year for Warner Bros., a studio that has seen several misfires like “The Bride!” and “Supergirl.” The timing of “Digger’s” anticipated poor performance is particularly unfortunate as Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. is set to finalize next week. This stands in stark contrast to Warner Bros.’s successful 2025 slate, which included commercial triumphs such as “Sinners,” “A Minecraft Movie,” and “Weapons.” “Digger” was initially greenlit with a $125 million budget at Warner Bros., but production overruns reportedly escalated the cost to between $160 million and $180 million, figures disputed by a Warner Bros. spokesperson. Industry experts suggest a film of this magnitude would need to debut near $40 million to justify its substantial price tag. Tom Cruise stars in “Digger” as a wealthy oil tycoon whose company is responsible for a looming environmental catastrophe. The film has received overwhelmingly negative reviews and word-of-mouth, prompting Warner Bros. to adopt an unconventional marketing strategy by embracing the bad press, urging moviegoers to “decide for yourself” in new advertisements after critics lambasted the film as “unpleasant” and “baffling.”

Colleen Hoover’s 2018 romantic thriller, “Verity,” has seen a resurgence in popularity, returning to bestseller charts concurrently with its film adaptation. The hardcover edition of “Verity” currently holds the number two spot on Amazon’s bestselling books chart, directly behind Rebecca Yarros’s new release, “Threshing Day.” The audiobook version of “Verity” is also number two on Audible, a position it reclaimed after spending over 100 weeks on the list. Originally self-published by Hoover in 2018, “Verity” was later acquired by Grand Central Publishing in 2021, quickly becoming a #1 New York Times Bestseller and a BookTok sensation. A special “collector’s edition” of the book is available, featuring an exclusive new chapter from Hoover and a new author’s letter.