Colleen Hoover Is Queen Again as ‘Verity’ Opens Bigger Than Expected, Despite a C+ CinemaScore

Colleen Hoover adaptations have followed a familiar pattern: critics are unimpressed, and book readers turn out anyway. ‘It Ends With Us’ set the high bar, opening to $50 million and running to $148.5 million domestically. The two most recent adaptations did not come close to that, which left some doubt about how far the brand could carry a film.

‘Verity‘ is the fourth Hoover adaptation to reach theaters, and it came with a stacked cast. Anne Hathaway plays the injured bestselling author Verity Crawford, Dakota Johnson plays struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, who is hired to finish her books, and Josh Hartnett plays Verity’s husband. Michael Showalter directed from a script by Nick Antosca, and the R-rated thriller was made for $40 million.

Its opening day has delivered a pleasant surprise. Box office analyst Luiz Fernando wrote that Hoover is once again queen and that Hathaway scores her third No. 1 debut of 2026, as ‘Verity’ grossed $15.1 million on Friday, including $4.5 million in Thursday previews. He is eyeing a $35 million to $40 million three-day opening weekend, if it is not too front-loaded by book readers.

Meanwhile, #ColleenHoover is once again Queen & #AnneHathaway scores her 3rd #1 debut in 2026 at US #BoxOffice, as #AmazonMGM’s R-rated erotic thriller #VERITY, also starring #DakotaJohnson grossed STRONG 15.1M on FRI Opening Day, including 4.5M THU Previews (vs #HouseOfGucci’s… pic.twitter.com/MzdzTp39IA

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 3, 2026

Fernando put the Friday in context with a list of recent opening days. ‘Verity’s’ $15.1 million beats ‘Practical Magic 2’ at $13.1 million, ‘The Lost City’ at $11.5 million and ‘Wuthering Heights’ at $10.8 million. It also clears ‘Reminders of Him’ at $8.1 million, ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ at $7.3 million, ‘Challengers’ at $6.3 million, ‘Regretting You’ at $5.3 million and ‘House of Gucci’ at $4.2 million. Only ‘It Ends With Us,’ at $24.2 million, stands above it.

Deadline’s Saturday morning update projects a $33.6 million weekend from 3,510 theaters after what it called a better-than-expected Friday. That is above Boxoffice Pro’s forecast range of $25 million to $35 million, and well beyond early expectations for a film that critics did not embrace. It is a strong result for a mid-budget adult thriller.

The opening also makes some history. Screen Rant notes that it is Johnson’s best domestic debut in eight years, since ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ opened to $38.6 million in 2018. It is also the best domestic debut for a Hoover adaptation since ‘It Ends With Us.’

There is a caution flag, though. ‘Verity’ earned a C+ CinemaScore from audiences, and it holds a 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That combination suggests a front-loaded run, with the fans who came for Hoover not necessarily spreading enthusiasm to anyone else.

Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett star in an all-new trailer for #Verity.

In theaters October 2. pic.twitter.com/niq02J5nO5

— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) August 11, 2026

Still, the competition looks much weaker. Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ opened to just $3.4 million on Friday and also received a C+ from audiences. ‘Verity’ is outperforming the competition, which includes ‘Resident Evil’ in second place.

For Amazon MGM, the result is welcome. With a $40 million budget and a $33 million opening, the film is on track for a solid profit even if it falls steeply from here. After a rough summer, a Hoover-powered hit is exactly the kind of win the studio needed.

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