Anne Hathaway's latest thriller, Verity, is making a quiet exit from theaters. After a promising debut, the film is now losing more than 1,100 screens as it prepares for its home-video release. The movie, which also stars Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, has seen its theatrical footprint shrink significantly in just a few weeks.
Based on the novel by Colleen Hoover, Verity was expected to be another big hit for the author, whose previous adaptations have performed remarkably well. It Ends with Us, for instance, rode a wave of controversy to over $350 million worldwide. Even smaller Hoover adaptations like Reminders of Him and Regretting You managed to pull in around $90 million globally. The new film was often compared to It Ends with Us because both are psychological thrillers, and it was also seen as a potential rival to last year's The Housemaid, which earned $400 million worldwide.
However, Verity hasn't lived up to those lofty expectations. After three weeks in release, the film has slowed down considerably. It opened at number one with a solid $32 million domestically and has earned nearly $150 million worldwide against a reported budget of $40 million. While that's not a flop by any means, it's a far cry from the blockbuster numbers of Hoover's other adaptations. If it's lucky, it might finish its run in the same ballpark as the 2016 thriller The Girl on the Train, which grossed around $170 million globally. But matching It Ends with Us, The Housemaid, or even Gone Girl seems out of reach.
This year has been a busy one for Hathaway, who also starred in The Odyssey, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The End of Oak Street, and Mother Mary. While Verity may not be her biggest hit, it's still a notable entry in her filmography.
Directed by Michael Showalter, Verity has received mixed reviews, holding a 31% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have noted that while it has the ingredients for a guilty pleasure, it leans more toward the guilty side due to plot twists that feel deflating rather than intriguing. The film debuted in over 3,500 theaters, but by its third week, it had already lost about 500 screens. Now, as it enters its fourth week, it's playing in around 2,400 theaters and is set to lose another 600 locations.
The movie is slated to hit the PVOD market next week, which will likely lead to an even steeper decline in its theater count. This is a common pattern for films that are heading to digital platforms, as studios shift focus to home entertainment. For fans of psychological thrillers, Verity might be worth catching on the big screen before it disappears, or you can wait for its streaming debut. If you're looking for other thrillers to tide you over, check out our list of HBO thrillers that never miss or our picks for thriller books to devour this weekend.
As Verity winds down its theatrical run, it joins a list of recent films that have seen significant theater losses, such as Jenna Ortega and Taika Waititi's 'Klara and the Sun' and Brad Pitt's 'Heart of the Beast'. It's a reminder that even with a strong start, a film's box office longevity can be unpredictable.
