Colleen Hoover's "Verity" hit theaters on October 2, 2026. Deadline projects a $30M+ domestic opening and a $50–55M worldwide start. That would make it one of the year's strongest debuts for a drama.
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"Verity" is expected to beat Tom Cruise's "Digger" at the box office this weekend. Box Office Theory forecasts "Verity" at $24M–$34M domestically, versus just $7.5M–$12.5M for "Digger." Studio tracking puts the gap at roughly $27M–$30M against $12M–$15M.
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Per Deadline's October 1 preview, "Verity" is tracking toward a $30M+ domestic opening across 3,510 theaters. Strong walk-up business could push it even higher. Another $20M–$25M is expected from 70 offshore territories.
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The film adapts Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel "Verity." Her books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide. The project has been in development at Amazon Studios since November 2020.
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Michael Showalter signed on to direct in November 2024. He brings a track record in both comedy and drama filmmaking. This is his first adaptation of a Hoover novel.
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"Verity" stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett. Ismael Cruz Córdova and Brady Wagner round out the cast. Early critics singled out Hathaway and Johnson's performances as scene-stealing.
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Amazon describes the film as a gothic, psychosexual thriller "in the vein of Rebecca and Gone Girl." It's a far moodier affair than Hoover's earlier romantic dramas. Expect tension, secrets, and dark twists.
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"Verity" is rated R for sexual content, nudity, language, violence, and bloody images. It runs about 114 minutes (1 hour 54 minutes). That's notably darker than Hoover's prior PG-13 adaptations.
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Early reviews are mixed, with the film hovering around 50–54% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised Hathaway and Johnson but found the pacing uneven and the third act divisive. Some outlets still flag it as a likely sleeper hit.
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"Verity" is the fourth Hoover novel to hit the big screen, after "It Ends With Us," "Regretting You," and "Reminders of Him." "It Ends With Us" opened to $50M domestically — a benchmark "Verity" won't beat. It's on track to be the second-biggest Hoover debut, ahead of "Reminders of Him" at $17M.
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The release date moved from May 15 to October 2 to claim the autumn horror-season slot. Previews began Thursday at 2 p.m. Amazon has committed to a full theatrical run before the film arrives on MGM+ and Prime Video.
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Boxoffice Pro forecasts a £4M–£5M UK and Ireland opening, with a £13M–£18M total. That puts it in the same league as "It Ends With Us," which made £21.7M in the UK. The gothic-thriller comparison to "Gone Girl" bodes well overseas.
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