Verity takes $4.5 million in previews and races toward No. 1 opening
Verity has stormed out of the gate with $4.5 million in preview takings and a clear run at No. 1 at the domestic box office, the United States and Canada.
Amazon MGM's thriller is projected to open with $30 million to $35 million over its first weekend, according to figures reported by Variety on 2 October. That pace would put it ahead of the field.
Preview shows are paid evening screenings held on the Thursday before a film's formal Friday opening. They offer an early read on demand before weekend matinees and evening shows arrive.
Verity is based on Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as author Verity Crawford, with Josh Hartnett as her husband and Dakota Johnson as writer Lowen Ashleigh. The film was produced for $40 million, Variety reported.
Its main challenger is Digger, from Warner Bros. The drama took $1.2 million in previews and is projected to open with $12 million to $15 million, according to the same 2 October report. That is a fast start, but a quieter one.
Digger is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and stars Tom Cruise as an oil tycoon. It was made against a $125 million budget, reported to have grown to over $160 million.
Hoover adaptations have a recent track record in cinemas. It Ends With Us opened with $50 million and finished with $350 million globally, while Reminders of Him opened with $17 million and Regretting You opened with $13.6 million, Variety reported. Verity sits above the last two on previews alone.
What makes this stand out is the scale of the gap. Verity earned almost four times as much as Digger in previews, and its domestic projection has edged up from the $25 million to $32 million opening-weekend win predicted by Gold Derby on 1 October. Deadline reported on 1 October that Verity is projected to open with $55 million or more at the worldwide box office.
For fans, this means a busy weekend with a clear favourite. An earlier Variety report on 30 September noted Verity would mark Hathaway's third No. 1 film of the year if it holds. Final weekend totals will be confirmed with Monday's actuals.
