Verity’s Preview Surge Outpaces Digger’s Collapse

Verity’s $4.5M preview haul in North America puts it on track for a $40M opening — and it’s doing so while Digger flops. The real question? Can it keep the heat?

By The Ledger4 Oct 20261 min read

Verity’s Thursday preview earnings in North America have hit $4.5 million — a figure that’s already outpacing the opening numbers of Reminders of Him and Regretting You, and placing it just behind It Ends with Us’ $7 million haul. The Colleen Hoover adaptation, starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, is now on track for a $35 million to $40 million three-day opening weekend across the US and Canada.

Globally, projections suggest a debut between $50 million and $60 million. That would mark Anne Hathaway’s third-biggest opening of the year, trailing only The Odyssey and The Devil Wears Prada 2. The film, released on September 25, follows Verity Crawford (Hathaway), a bestselling author, and Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson), a struggling writer who moves into the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite her next book.

When Lowen stumbles upon a chilling manuscript allegedly penned by Verity, detailing disturbing confessions about her husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), reality begins to blur with fiction, and with it, lines of manipulation, obsession, and desire. Despite receiving poor reviews from critics, the audience response appears strong enough to carry the film through its opening weekend.

Industry sources suggest the movie is benefiting from the weak reception of Tom Cruise’s Digger, which is expected to underperform at the North American box office. In India, Digger opened to just ₹1.89 crore. A number that has sparked early debate about the current state of Hollywood’s global pull. Koimoi reports that these figures are based on estimates and various sources, and have not been independently verified.

Still, the momentum is clear: Verity isn’t just surviving its launch, it’s thriving in a moment when other high-profile releases are faltering. The real test comes this Friday. If the audience stays engaged, the film could exceed expectations. But if the word-of-mouth fizzles, even a strong preview start won’t be enough.

For now, though, the numbers speak louder than the critics.