The U.S. box office has experienced a weekend of extreme contrasts. Verity, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's work with a modest budget, has emerged as the big surprise of the moment, while Digger, the blockbuster starring Tom Cruise and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, has become one of the biggest commercial failures of the year.
The outcome is significant because it highlights how budget size no longer guarantees box office success, while more modest productions with stories aimed at specific audiences can multiply their investment.
Verity conquers the box office with $32.6 million
Verity has taken the number one spot at the U.S. box office after grossing $32.6 million in 3,510 theaters during its opening weekend. Added to that figure are $30 million from international markets, bringing its global debut to approximately $62.5 million.
The figure is particularly striking for a production with a budget of around $40 million. With this start, the film is virtually guaranteed to be profitable, despite failing to win over critics.
Directed by Michael Showalter, Verity is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover and stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett. The plot follows Verity Crawford, a successful writer who is left severely injured after a car accident, forcing her husband to hire another author to finish the books she left incomplete.
Weak reviews that don’t stop the audience
The critical reception has been lukewarm: the film has a C+ grade on CinemaScore and a 34% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, these ratings have not stopped audiences from flocking to theaters.
The profile of the viewers partly explains the phenomenon. 78% of the opening weekend audience was female, and the largest age group was between 25 and 34 years old. This type of loyal audience is precisely what has led Hollywood to take an increasing interest in adaptations of Colleen Hoover's novels.
Verity also marks the second-best opening for an adaptation of the author's work, only behind It Ends With Us, which debuted with $50 million in 2024.
Digger, the big disaster of the weekend
At the opposite end is Digger. The film, starring Tom Cruise, has barely grossed $8 million in 3,321 U.S. theaters, a figure that could drop to $7.5 million once final data is confirmed.
The problem is not limited to falling far behind Verity. The real conflict lies in the cost of production.
Digger has an estimated budget of between $160 and $180 million, after the project, initially approved at around $125 million, saw its costs skyrocket during filming. To that figure, one must add around $100 million allocated to its global marketing campaign.
Warner Bros. expected a debut of between $18 and $20 million, a figure that would have already been insufficient for a production of this size. Some analysts calculated that the film needed to approach $40 million in its opening weekend to begin justifying the investment.
Not even Tom Cruise could save the film
The combination of Tom Cruise and Alejandro González Iñárritu, the director of Birdman and The Revenant, seemed designed to capture the public's attention. Digger was presented as a rarity in today's Hollywood: an original dark comedy for adults, built around a major star and with a blockbuster budget.
That very approach ended up being part of the problem. A dark comedy can sustain itself with modest figures, but Digger carried a budget typical of a different category of films.
The critical reception didn't help either. The negative reviews were so blunt that Warner Bros. even included some of those unfavorable opinions in its own advertising campaign, encouraging the public to form their own opinion about the film.
The strategy did not work outside the United States. Digger added about $12 million in 73 international markets, leaving its global gross at just $20 million.
Estimates place the film's break-even point between $300 and $350 million worldwide. With this start, reaching that figure seems very difficult, and the project could generate losses of between $150 and $200 million.
A particularly valuable victory for Verity
The contrast between the two films is hard to ignore. Verity cost approximately a quarter of what Digger did and, even so, managed to quadruple its U.S. gross during its opening weekend.
With this film, Anne Hathaway adds her third number one box office hit in 2026, following The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Odyssey, cementing an especially solid year for the actress.
Digger still has weeks ahead to try to reduce the economic impact, and subsequent revenue from digital rentals, streaming, and television will help recover part of the investment. However, with $20 million in global gross against a cost that could approach $300 million between production and promotion, reversing the situation appears to be an extremely complicated task.
Resident Evil and Spider-Man continue to add millions
Beyond the duel between Verity and Digger, the U.S. box office continues to show notable figures. Resident Evil remained in second place with $12.5 million in its third weekend, raising its gross to $124.8 million in the U.S. and $215 million worldwide. With a budget of around $75 million, the reboot directed by Zach Cregger has established itself as another success for Sony.
The run of Spider-Man: Brand New Day is even more striking. The film has already accumulated $954 million in North America and $2.5 billion worldwide, figures that place it as the third highest-grossing film in history, only behind Avengers: Endgame and Avatar.
Heart of the Beast, starring Brad Pitt, continues its solid progress. The survival thriller grossed $11 million in its second weekend, reaching a total of $38.3 million in the U.S. and $98.6 million globally. With a budget of $82 million, it will need to stay in theaters to be profitable.
Primetime, from A24, added another $8 million and has already accumulated $34 million in North America against a budget of just $15 million. The film still has much of its international release pending.
Avengers: Endgame surpasses Avatar in historical box office
The re-release of Avengers: Endgame has also left its mark. The Marvel film has grossed $126 million in just two weekends, a boost that has allowed it to reclaim the top spot in the historical global box office with $2.925 billion, surpassing Avatar, which has $2.923 billion.
Disney has taken advantage of the film's return, accompanied by additional footage, to generate anticipation for Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release in December.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Verity gross in its opening?
Verity grossed $32.6 million in the United States during its first weekend, plus $30 million in international markets, for a global total of $62.5 million.
Why did Digger fail at the box office despite having Tom Cruise?
Digger had a disproportionate budget of between $160 and $180 million, plus about $100 million in marketing, while negative reviews and unfavorable word-of-mouth affected its gross, which barely reached $20 million worldwide.
Who stars in Verity?
Verity stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, under the direction of Michael Showalter, in an adaptation of the novel by Colleen Hoover.
What is the budget for Digger and how much does it need to gross to be profitable?
Digger's production budget is estimated between $160 and $180 million, adding another $100 million in promotion. Estimates place its break-even point between $300 and $350 million worldwide.
What other films stood out at the box office this week?
Resident Evil, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Heart of the Beast, and Primetime continued to add significant revenue, while the re-release of Avengers: Endgame allowed it to surpass Avatar as the highest-grossing film in history.
Who directs Digger?
Digger is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, known for films such as Birdman and The Revenant, and stars Tom Cruise.
