Verity Tops Box Office as Digger Marks Cruise's Worst Opening in 19 Years

Key points

• Verity earned $14.5 million on Friday, including $4.5 million in previews, for a projected $32 million weekend total at 3,510 theaters.
• Digger earned $1.2 million in previews and is projected to open with $10 million at 3,321 theaters, its lowest opening since 2007's 'Lions for Lambs'.
• Rotten Tomatoes shows a 71% audience score and 51% critics score for Digger, while Verity has a 34% critics score and 71% audience score.
• Resident Evil finished second with $11.5 million, followed by The Heart of the Beast at $10.3 million.
• Warner Bros. motion picture heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy are leaving the studio following its acquisition by Paramount.

Background

Prior projections from our archive estimated Verity would open between $30 million and $35 million, while Digger was expected to debut between $12 million and $15 million. The actual figures for Digger fell below these estimates, confirming concerns about its commercial viability. Verity's performance met the lower end of its projected range.

How outlets are covering it

Deadline emphasizes the historical significance of Digger's $10 million opening as Cruise's lowest in 19 years and notes the departure of Warner Bros. leadership. Rotten Tomatoes highlights that Verity's low critics score (34%) did not hinder its box office success, attributing this to strong audience reception (71%) and Anne Hathaway's performance. Yahoo's coverage, while largely obscured by technical code, suggests a focus on the contrast between the films' critical reception and commercial outcomes.

Why it matters

The weekend results highlight the divergence between critical acclaim and box office performance, with Verity succeeding commercially despite poor reviews, while Digger underperforms despite higher critical scores. This underscores the importance of audience appeal and marketing in the current market, particularly for high-budget films.

What to watch

Verity is projected to reach $55 million globally, while Digger's domestic run will be closely monitored for its impact on Warner Bros.' 2026 financials. The departure of De Luca and Abdy may influence future slate decisions at the merged Paramount-Warner Bros. entity.