October was a banner month for book-to-screen adaptations. While Netflix rolled out its critically praised East of Eden limited series, two big-screen literary adaptations hit theaters. Now that both have made their way to premium video-on-demand, their theatrical runs are winding down. The less flashy of the two, Sense and Sensibility, just landed on digital, while the star-studded Colleen Hoover adaptation has been available to rent or buy for a couple of weeks.
That Hoover adaptation is Verity, a psychological thriller starring Anne Hathaway. The film performed respectably at the box office, though it didn't reach the heights of some comparable titles. It was expected to follow in the footsteps of 2024's It Ends with Us (also based on a Hoover novel), as well as past hits like Gone Girl and The Housemaid. Those films grossed $350 million, $370 million, and $400 million worldwide, respectively.
Verity didn't have the benefit of controversy or glowing reviews to boost its profile. It marked the final release of a packed year for Hathaway, who also starred in the blockbusters The Odyssey and The Devil Wears Prada 2, which together pulled in over $2.5 billion globally. She also appeared in the box-office misfire Mother Mary and the underperforming The End of Oak Street.
Box Office Numbers and Critical Reception
Directed by Michael Showalter, who previously worked with Hathaway on the Prime Video original The Idea of You, Verity also stars Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. It's fair to say the film was designed with home viewing in mind, so any theatrical earnings were a bonus. So far, it has grossed around $175 million worldwide against a reported budget of $40 million—a solid return, though it lands in the same range as The Girl on the Train and Where the Crawdads Sing.
Critics were less kind. The film holds a 32% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus noting it has "all the ingredients for a guilty pleasure" but leans "more towards guilty than pleasurable" due to plot twists that are "more deflating than intriguing."
Digital Debut and Theater Drop
Despite the mixed reviews, Verity has found an audience at home. According to FlixPatrol, it shot to the top of iTunes and Amazon charts after its digital release. That success, however, has come at the cost of its theatrical presence. The film, which opened in 3,510 theaters five weeks ago, has now been reduced to just 710 locations nationwide—a loss of roughly 2,800 screens.
This pattern is becoming common in the streaming era, where films often pivot quickly to home platforms. For context, other recent releases have seen similar drops. Brad Pitt's latest thriller also shed theaters ahead of its digital bow, and Clayface experienced a comparable decline in its third week.
For fans of Hathaway or Hoover, Verity is now easily accessible from the comfort of home. Whether it will gain a second life on streaming platforms remains to be seen, but its digital performance suggests there's an audience for this kind of pulpy, twisty entertainment. Stay tuned for more updates on its journey.
