Verity Eyes $30M Debut, Tops Digger at Box Office
Anne Hathaway is in line for her third No. 1 opening of 2026.
Her new film Verity is targeting $30 million to $35 million in its domestic debut, meaning the United States and Canada, from 3,510 theatres, according to Variety. That would put it clear of the weekend’s other major newcomer.
Verity is a psychological thriller based on Colleen Hoover’s bestseller. It stars Hathaway with Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, was directed by Michael Showalter and was produced for $40 million. The Amazon MGM release had already been flagged as a strong opener, with an earlier long-range forecast from Boxoffice Pro giving it $30 million to $40 million domestically.
The projection would continue a busy year for Hathaway. Variety reports she previously starred in The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Odyssey, with Verity expected to become her third chart-topper of the year.
The competition comes from Digger, opening on the same weekend. The R-rated environmental satire from director Alejandro González Iñárritu and star Tom Cruise is projected to earn $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 North American screens, Variety reports, with a further $15 million to $20 million internationally, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In Digger, Cruise plays a powerful entrepreneur who caused a natural disaster. The cast also includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller. The film centres on climate change, and early footage shows Cruise as a portly, grey-haired character, a sharp break from his usual action roles.
The stakes are very different. Digger began with a $125 million production budget, which has risen to closer to $180 million, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Months ago, third-party tracking had pointed to an opening of around $30 million domestically. That number has since fallen by half.
The film has also had a noisy run-up. It drew very mixed reactions after its first press screenings, with critic reviews described as brutally split. Warner Bros. has since released an ad urging moviegoers to decide for themselves, while Cruise has defended the film publicly and Iñárritu has praised the studio for backing it.
For fans, this means a weekend of contrasts. One is a $40 million book adaptation built around two leading women. The other is a big-budget original satire led by one of cinema’s biggest stars.
