'Verity' dominates box office as Tom Cruise’s 'Digger' struggles with $3.4m opening day

The psychological thriller earned an estimated $15.1m from 3,510 cinemas on Friday

Anne Hathaway’s Verity has taken the lead at the North American box office, while Tom Cruise’s Digger is struggling to attract audiences during its opening weekend.

The psychological thriller earned an estimated $15.1 million from 3,510 cinemas on Friday, putting it on course for an opening weekend of around $33 million to $34 million. The strong start puts Verity comfortably ahead of the weekend’s other major new releases. 

Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, Verity stars Hathaway as the titular author, with Dakota Johnson playing Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who is hired to complete Verity’s unfinished book after the novelist is left incapacitated. Josh Hartnett also stars as Verity’s husband, Jeremy.

Meanwhile, Cruise’s Digger earned approximately $3.4 million on Friday from 3,321 North American locations, including previews. The figure has put the film on track for an opening weekend of around $7.5 million to $8 million. 

The result marks a disappointing start for the Warner Bros. release, which stars Cruise as oil tycoon Digger Rockwell. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film follows the billionaire as an ecological disaster threatens the world after his company’s actions contribute to the crisis.

Digger reportedly began production with a budget of around $125 million before costs increased substantially, with Variety reporting that the final production budget climbed to between $160 million and $180 million. The studio also spent heavily on the film’s marketing campaign. 

The opening also represents Cruise’s weakest domestic start in years. According to reports, the film is heading towards his lowest opening weekend since Lions for Lambs opened to $6 million in 2007. 

Sony’s Resident Evil is holding the second position, earning approximately $3.62 million on Friday. The horror film is expected to bring in around $12 million over the weekend, adding to its already substantial domestic run.

Brad Pitt’s The Heart of the Beast follows, while A24’s Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson, rounds out the top five. Primetime earned around $2.49 million on Friday and is projected to take in approximately $7.5 million for the weekend. 

With the weekend still underway, Verity is firmly positioned at the top of the box office, while Digger faces a much weaker opening despite Cruise’s star power, Iñárritu’s involvement and an extensive promotional campaign. Final weekend figures are expected after the weekend.