Verity opens to about $33.6M, tops Digger
Amazon MGM’s Verity led the weekend box office with an estimated $33.6 million domestic debut across 3,510 theaters nationwide. Tom Cruise’s Digger opened far softer near $8 million. Both films drew C+ CinemaScores as October’s wide theatrical slate kicked off.
Colleen Hoover’s Verity is the clear box-office winner of the first October weekend. Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter put Amazon MGM’s thriller at an estimated $33.6 million domestic opening from 3,510 theaters after a $15.1 million Friday that included Thursday previews. Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett headline Michael Showalter’s adaptation of Hoover’s novel about a ghostwriter hired by a celebrated author.
Warner Bros.’ Digger, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Tom Cruise satire, opened the same weekend to roughly $7.5 million to $8 million from about 3,300 theaters — Cruise’s softest launch since 2007’s Lions for Lambs. Production-cost reporting sits around $125 million to $160 million-plus. Both newcomers earned C+ CinemaScores. Verity’s critic score on Rotten Tomatoes sat near 34% in Saturday tracking; Digger’s critics hovered near 51% with audience scores higher than critics on both titles in early reads.
Holdovers still mattered. Sony’s Resident Evil looked for about $12 million in weekend three toward a $124 million-plus domestic cume. Paramount’s Heart of the Beast and A24’s Primetime filled the middle of the chart. Deadline pegged the overall weekend near $101 million, a third straight $100 million-plus autumn frame.
For households, the stake is ticket choice in a split weekend: a book-club thriller aimed largely at women versus a polarizing auteur satire carrying Cruise’s name. Premium large-format screens mattered more for Digger’s coastal grosses than for Verity’s broader geographic spread.
Backstory: Hoover’s It Ends With Us remains the franchise benchmark after a far larger 2024 open. Digger also lands as Warner Bros.’ final wide release before Paramount’s planned studio combination finalizes early the next week.
What we know:
Verity is estimated near $33.6 million for No. 1; Digger is estimated near $8 million; both scored C+ from CinemaScore audiences.
What we don’t:
Monday studio actuals that lock the estimates, and how steep Verity’s second-weekend drop runs after the C+ grade.
Where outlets agree Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter both put Verity near a $33.6 million No. 1 debut while Digger opens far softer around $8 million.
Where they differ TheWrap’s Saturday estimate had Digger closer to $7.5 million and Verity at $33 million, a small spread typical before Monday actuals.