Verity, with Anne Hathaway, reaches digital after a short theatrical run
Amazon MGM's thriller Verity, starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, went to premium digital rental on 27 October after about three weeks in cinemas. Outlets agree on its roughly $40m budget and $160m-plus global gross. They differ on whether it is a disappointment or a hit.
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The story, neutrally told
Centre · 2Verity, a psychological thriller from Amazon MGM based on Colleen Hoover's novel, became available on premium digital rental on 27 October, less than a month after opening in cinemas on 2 October. Screen RantN “Verity was originally released in theaters on October 2.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ ColliderN “On October 27, the movie was released on the PVOD market” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 1The film stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett and was directed by Michael Showalter. ColliderN “Also starring Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, the movie was directed by Michael Showalter.” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 1It follows Lowen Ashleigh, a writer hired to complete novels for Verity Crawford, a bestselling author incapacitated by an accident, who uncovers unsettling truths about Verity while working at the Crawford home. ColliderN “Verity is a psychological thriller centering on Lowen Ashleigh, a writer hired to complete novels for Verity Crawford, a bestselling author incapacitated by an accident.” Read at Collider ↗
Centre · 1Collider reported that the film lost a large share of its screens: its domestic count fell from about 3,500 to about 2,400 theatres, and it was cut from more than 1,000 theatres in total. It ranked eighth on the domestic chart in the week before the digital release. ColliderN “With its domestic theater count having dropped from around 3,500 to around 2,400” Read at Collider ↗ ColliderN “The movie ranked eighth on this week's domestic box office chart, having been removed from more than 1,000 theaters since its debut.” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 2Reported totals rose over the week: about $150m worldwide on 25 October and $160m by 27 October according to Collider, and $162.7m according to Screen Rant. Collider put the domestic total past $70m after a $3m third weekend. All three articles give the budget as about $40m. ColliderN “the film has so far grossed around $150 million worldwide against a reported budget of $40 million” Read at Collider ↗ ColliderN “taking its running haul past the $70 million milestone. Globally, the film has generated $160 million so far” Read at Collider ↗ Screen RantN “With $162.7 million so far, Hathaway's new movie has not only broken even, but also entered profitable territory.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Centre · 1Collider presented the run as solid but unspectacular against expectations set by Hoover's earlier adaptation It Ends with Us (about $350m worldwide) and by The Housemaid (about $400m). It noted that Gone Girl grossed more than twice as much. ColliderN “a new psychological thriller looks set to conclude its box-office run with a solid but unspectacular haul”“even David Fincher's similarly targeted Gone Girl grossed more than twice as much as the new film” Read at Collider ↗
Centre · 1Collider also noted a 31% Rotten Tomatoes score, with a consensus calling the plot twists "more deflating than intriguing". It said the film sits between Where the Crawdads Sing and The Girl on the Train in box-office terms. ColliderN “The movie now holds a 31% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes” Read at Collider ↗ ColliderN “This puts Verity between other psychological thrillers based on bestsellers such as Where the Crawdads Sing and The Girl on the Train.” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 1Screen Rant said the film needed $80m to $100m to break even and so is profitable. It reported that Verity ranked first on the Apple TV Store's US Top 20 Movies chart, citing FlixPatrol, ahead of Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars (3rd) and Forgotten Island (10th), which were released digitally the same day. Screen RantN “the thriller needed to finish its theatrical run between $80 million and $100 million to break even”“Verity stands as the most popular movie on the Apple TV Store's Top 20 Movies chart in the United States, according to data from FlixPatrol.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Centre · 2Collider said the film was expected to "deliver huge results" on premium video on demand. Screen Rant predicted a likely streaming hit that should boost interest in Hathaway's upcoming projects, including Alone at Dawn (2027) and a Days of Thunder sequel (2028). ColliderN “where it's expected to deliver huge results” Read at Collider ↗ Screen RantN “Verity's success on digital and likely hit status whenever it arrives on streaming should boost interest in Hathaway's new movies.” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets are entertainment trade sites. Collider measures the film against bigger Hoover and thriller hits and stresses the theatre cuts and poor reviews. Screen Rant stresses profitability and the top digital chart ranking.
- Emphasis
- Collider: box-office comparisons, theatre count, Rotten Tomatoes score. Screen Rant: break-even maths, Apple TV Store ranking, Hathaway's upcoming slate.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Collider's coverage gives little on digital performance. Screen Rant does not mention the reviews or the theatre cuts.
- Charged language
- “Instant Hit”“Twisted New Thriller”“digital sensation”“sci-fi flop”
- For example
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“a new psychological thriller looks set to conclude its box-office run with a solid but unspectacular haul” — Collider
“has instantly become a nationwide digital sensation” — Screen Rant
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Verity opened in US cinemas on 2 October and reached premium digital release on 27 October.
- The reported budget is about $40 million.
- Worldwide gross is above $150 million, with the latest figures at $160 million to $162.7 million.
- Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett star.
Where accounts differ
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Whether Verity's performance counts as a disappointment or a success
- Centre
- Collider calls the run "solid but unspectacular" and a flop against expectations. Screen Rant calls it an "instant hit" that made four times its budget and is profitable.
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre3 articles
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Anne Hathaway’s Thriller Arrives at Home After Being Officially Removed From 1,100 Theaters
Critical Presents the release as the end of a disappointing theatrical run after high expectations, citing the theatre removals and weak reviews.
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Mixed Says the film passed a box-office milestone but still fell far short of comparable bestseller adaptations and drew poor reviews.
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Anne Hathaway's New Thriller Debuts On Streaming As Instant Hit After Making 4x Its Budget
Celebratory Frames the film as a profitable instant hit that topped the Apple TV Store chart and builds momentum for Hathaway.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 25 Oct 13:30 First ColliderN Anne Hathaway’s Thriller Arrives at Home After Being Officially Removed From 1,100 Theaters
- 27 Oct 16:30 +51h ColliderN Anne Hathaway’s Twisted New Thriller Officially Hits Major Milestone Despite Being Removed From 1,100 Theaters
- 28 Oct 20:41 +79h 12m Screen RantN Anne Hathaway's New Thriller Debuts On Streaming As Instant Hit After Making 4x Its Budget
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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