Verity, the adaptation of Colleen Hoover's 2018 novel, has grossed about $146.6 million worldwide on a reported $40 million budget, according to The Numbers. It earned that with a 31% Rotten Tomatoes score and a C+ from audiences.
Those figures do not usually go together. They are a good illustration of what an existing readership can do for a film, and what it cannot.
The Numbers
From The Numbers, with figures through about October 21:
- Opening weekend (Oct 2–4): $32.0 million from 3,510 theaters, number one at the box office.
- Domestic total: about $68.0 million.
- International total: about $78.7 million.
- Worldwide total: about $146.6 million, against a $40 million production budget.
Per Wikipedia, the second weekend fell 63% to $12 million, behind Other Mommy. By the third weekend, The Numbers' weekend chart had it sixth, with about $6.0 million for the weekend and $65.9 million domestic.
Amazon MGM Studios released it in North America and Sony Pictures Releasing handled international markets. Michael Showalter directed, with Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett in the leads.
The Reviews
Wikipedia lists 31% on Rotten Tomatoes from 183 reviews, 44 on Metacritic from 35 critics ("mixed or average"), and a C+ CinemaScore.
That is a notably weak exit-poll grade for a film that opened at number one, and the second-weekend drop of 63% fits it. A plausible reading is that the opening reflected people who already wanted to see it, and the decline reflects what they told others.
What the Book Has to Do With It
The novel is still selling. On the New York Times combined print and e-book fiction list for October 9, as posted by The Fussy Librarian, Verity ranked third, behind Rebecca Yarros's Threshing Day and John Grisham's The French Illusion. The list also included Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir at eighth, another novel with a successful film, which we covered separately.
We cannot prove from this data that the film lifted the book, or the book the film. What we can say is that an opening of $32 million for a film that critics rated 31% is consistent with an existing readership turning out to see it.
In our own data, the film's TMDb popularity score fell from 148.4 on October 6 to 79.3 on October 21, close to halving as the theatrical run wound down.
What It Suggests
- Built-in audiences are worth a lot on opening weekend. Reviews seem to matter less to a crowd that came for a specific story.
- They do not carry the second weekend. A 63% drop and a C+ show that satisfaction, not awareness, drives the tail.
- A modest budget turns that pattern into a strong return on production cost. At $40 million, a $147 million gross is about 3.7 times the budget, even with poor reception. Digger, with a reported budget of at least $125 million and no built-in readership, shows the other side of it.
Editorial Take: The easy conclusion is that reviews do not matter. The more accurate one is that they matter at a different point. A bestselling book buys a big first weekend, and the film's own quality decides what happens after that. Verity is a case where the first part was enough to pay for the whole production. Studios may read that as a reason to keep adapting bestsellers on modest budgets, and that is the lesson worth watching for in the next adaptation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much has the Verity movie made? About $146.6 million worldwide, including about $68.0 million domestically, per The Numbers as of about October 21.
How much did Verity cost to make? A reported $40 million, per The Numbers and Wikipedia.
What are the reviews for the Verity movie? 31% on Rotten Tomatoes from 183 reviews and 44 on Metacritic, with a C+ CinemaScore, per Wikipedia. Scores can change.
Who is in Verity? Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, directed by Michael Showalter. Nick Antosca wrote the screenplay.
Is Verity based on a book? Yes, Colleen Hoover's 2018 novel of the same name. It ranked third on the New York Times combined fiction list for October 9, 2026.
Did Verity make money? Its worldwide gross is about 3.7 times its reported budget, which is usually a strong result. Studios do not publish profit, and marketing costs are not included in that budget.
Box office and review figures come from the sources linked above and can change. Popularity figures are Incoming's snapshots of TMDb's score on October 6 and October 21, 2026. Tracking what arrives next across movies, TV, games, music and books at incoming.to.