Verity Vs Digger Box Office Prediction: Anne Hathaway Eyes Third No 1 Debut Of 2026; Tom Cruise Film In Trouble

Anne Hathaway's Verity targets $35 million debut and No. 1 spot as Tom Cruise's Digger tracks $12 million opening

Verity is set to make its theatrical debut this weekend and Anne Hathaway is back on top of the box office. The Colleen Hoover adaptation is set to rake in $30 million to $35 million in the domestic market from 3,510 theatres, which could give Hathaway her third No. 1 opening of 2026. The film comes with Tom Cruise's Digger, an expensive R-rated environmental satire that has much weaker projections. Verity could be another successful adaptation of a Hoover novel, but Digger is on track for a disappointing opening of $12 million to $15 million, adding to a difficult year at the box office for Warner Bros.

Verity aims for $30-$35 million opening

Verity is expected to top the home box office this opening weekend, with its debut projected at $30 million to $35 million from 3,510 theatres, a report by Variety stated. It would be Anne Hathaway's third No. 1 opening of the year. The actor is already set to appear in two big theatrical releases in 2026: The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Odyssey. This year Hathaway also starred in Mother Mary and The End of Oak Street, making 2026 one of her busiest periods on the big screen.

Another Colleen Hoover adaptation in theatres

Colleen Hoover's latest book Verity has been optioned by Hollywood. Her books are increasingly becoming a reliable source for relatively contained theatrical productions. It started with Sony's It Ends With Us, which opened to $50 million in 2024 and grossed around $350 million globally. Regrettably, Paramount's You followed with $13.6 million in 2025, and Universal's Reminders of Him debuted with $17 million in 2026.

Hoover adaptations have generally been made with relatively modest budgets, thus decreasing the financial risk for studios, unlike many large-scale studio productions. The production budget for Verity is said to be around $40 million, and it will be released through Amazon MGM.

More about Verity

Anne Hathaway-led Verity has been directed by Michael Showalter and also stars Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. The story follows successful author Verity Crawford, who is severely injured in a car crash. Her husband hires a struggling writer to finish her popular book series, since Verity can't finish the rest of the novels.

The writer then immerses herself in Verity's world, and the story becomes a psychological thriller filled with secrets and disturbing revelations. The film has received mixed early reviews, with some critics questioning the film's execution despite the popularity of Hoover's source material.

Digger faces tough challenge at box office

Tom Cruise's Digger is heading to theatres, but with significantly lowered box office expectations. The film is now projected to gross between $12 million and $15 million from roughly 3,300 North American sites. The R-rated film is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and stars Cruise as a wealthy oil tycoon whose business is caught up in a potential environmental disaster.

The muted response to the movie has cast doubts over its chances in the theatres. Warner Bros. has even embraced some of the negative critical response in its marketing, urging audiences to "decide for yourself" amid criticism of the film.

Digger's big budget increases stakes

Digger's biggest problem is its reported production cost. Warner Bros. originally greenlit the film with a budget of $125 million, but reports have cited sources claiming the cost eventually ballooned to between $160 million and $180 million following production that ran longer than scheduled.

Warner Bros. has disputed those numbers. But analysts say no matter what the final budget, to make much of a theatrical dent a film this size would require a much stronger opening than it's currently projecting.

Warner Bros's continued tough time

Digger is arriving at a tough time for Warner Bros., which has already seen disappointing returns from films such as The Bride and Supergirl. That's a far cry from the studio's 2025 run, where it delivered big commercial hits like Sinners, A Minecraft Movie and Weapons.

The timing is also notable as Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. is expected to close next week, making the studio's current theatrical performance even more meaningful.

Amazon MGM seeking another theatrical victory

For Amazon MGM, Verity is yet another opportunity to grow its theatrical ambitions. The studio had a big hit earlier this year with Ryan Gosling's Project Hail Mary, which is said to have grossed $684 million worldwide. Amazon MGM will be hoping Verity can be another theatrical success, after the underperformance of Masters of the Universe, which grossed around $113 million globally against a reported $200 million budget.

The studio also has several releases in the pipeline, including I Play Rocky, about the making of the original Rocky, and the heist thriller How to Rob a Bank, starring Nicholas Hoult and Pete Davidson.