Colleen Hoover’s New Thriller Loses Hundreds Of Theaters In Major Box Office Blow

Published Oct 16, 2026, 9:04 PM EDT

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Verity took a major hit just three weeks after its debut.

Anne Hathaway's latest movie, Verity, is facing a significant setback at the box office as it enters its third weekend in theaters. Based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel of the same name, the psychological thriller was released on October 2, 2026, by Amazon MGM Studios. Directed by Michael Showalter, the film stars Hathaway alongside Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. The adaptation follows a struggling writer who gets dragged into a web of disturbing lies after accepting a job working for a famous author.

According to The Numbers, Verity has officially lost 500 theaters heading into this weekend, reducing its domestic presence from 3,572 locations to 3,072. This represents a roughly 14% reduction in theaters in under a month. Despite the substantial decrease, the thriller remains one of the most widely distributed movies in North America, with its third-weekend theater count still exceeding 3,000 locations.

This loss follows a noticeable decline in ticket sales during the movie's second weekend. Verity debuted at number one at the domestic box office with $32 million during its opening weekend, playing in 3,510 theaters. However, it suffered a 63% decline the following weekend, bringing in $12 million. The movie also fell to second place on the domestic chart after holding the top spot.

Although Verity has experienced a sharp drop in ticket sales, its overall box office performance isn't as dramatic as it seems. The thriller has earned approximately $58.9 million domestically and $60.1 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to nearly $119 million. With a reported production budget of $40 million, the Hoover adaptation has already grossed nearly three times its budget. However, theatrical revenue does not go entirely to the studio, as marketing and distribution expenses are not included in the listed production cost.

Verity is based on a 2018 psychological romantic thriller novel by Hoover. Hoover initially self-published the book on December 7, 2018, before Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, released a new edition in 2021. The novel was critically acclaimed and was nominated under the romance category for 2019's Goodreads Choice Awards. Verity was also named the Page-turner of the Year at the 2023 British Book Awards.

While the source material was wildly successful, the film adaptation was not. Verity received overwhelmingly bad reviews from both critics and general audiences. Despite being a commercial hit with big names attached, when it comes to the storyline itself, viewers seemed less than impressed. The film currently holds a 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this article's publication.

Verity is currently playing in theaters now.