Weekend Box Office Recap: Verity Takes No. 1 as Digger Becomes a Costly Warner Bros. Miss

The weekend of October 2–4, 2026 gave the fall box office a clear winner, a major studio headache, and another reminder that audiences are still showing up when the movie has a clear hook.

Amazon MGM’s Verity opened at No. 1 with an estimated $32.6 million domestic weekend, continuing the strong theatrical run for Colleen Hoover adaptations. The thriller, starring Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway, also earned about $30 million internationally, giving it a strong $62.6 million worldwide debut.

But the weekend’s biggest industry story may have been the movie that did not work. Warner Bros.’ Digger, starring Tom Cruise and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, opened to just $8 million domestic and $20 million worldwide. For a film reportedly costing at least $125 million to produce, with marketing costs adding much more, that is a brutal start.

So the weekend had two very different lessons: Verity showed the strength of a targeted, female-driven literary adaptation, while Digger showed how risky expensive auteur-driven studio bets can be when the audience does not show up.

Verity Takes No. 1 With a Strong Colleen Hoover Launch

The top story is Verity.

The Amazon MGM thriller opened with $32.6 million domestic from 3,510 theaters, giving the weekend a strong No. 1 and proving again that Colleen Hoover’s audience can move the theatrical needle.

The opening did not reach the level of It Ends with Us, which launched with $50 million in 2024, but it still landed well above this year’s earlier Hoover adaptation Reminders of Him. That makes Verity another clear win for the category: romantic thrillers and emotionally charged book adaptations can still bring a large audience to theaters when the casting, marketing, and fanbase line up.

The audience profile tells the story. The film played heavily female, with women reportedly making up the overwhelming majority of opening-weekend ticket buyers. That matters because the box office often leans hard on young men, horror fans, families, and franchise audiences. Verity is a reminder that adult women remain one of the most powerful moviegoing groups when the release gives them something they actually want.

The film also had a strong international start, matching its domestic haul with about $30 million overseas. That gives Verity a healthy global launch and positions it as one of the stronger fall adult-skewing performers so far.

Domestic Top 10

Here is the estimated domestic top 10 for October 2–4, 2026:

1. Verity — $32.6 million
2. Resident Evil — $12.5 million
3. Heart of the Beast — $11.0 million
4. Primetime — $8.0 million
5. Digger — $8.0 million
6. Forgotten Island — $7.2 million
7. Avengers: Endgame Encore — $4.4 million
8. Drishyam: The Conclusion — $2.7 million
9. Practical Magic 2 — $2.7 million
10. Spider-Man: Brand New Day — $2.5 million

Digger Becomes the Weekend’s Big Miss

The roughest story of the weekend was Digger.

On paper, the movie had prestige written all over it: Tom Cruise, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, a politically charged original story, and a fall release window that suggested awards-season ambitions. But the box office result was extremely weak.

The film opened to only $8 million domestic and about $20 million worldwide. That is a difficult number for almost any wide release, but it is especially damaging for a movie reportedly costing at least $125 million, with some reports placing the production cost closer to $150 million before marketing.

The audience response did not help. The film reportedly earned a C+ CinemaScore, which suggests viewers were not especially enthusiastic. Critics were also mixed to negative, and the marketing appeared to shift late in the campaign toward a “decide for yourself” angle after poor reviews started shaping the conversation.

For Cruise, this is a rare box office stumble. He has spent the last decade reinforcing his status as one of the most reliable theatrical stars through Mission: Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick. Digger shows that even Cruise still needs the right vehicle. Star power alone was not enough to sell a divisive, expensive political satire.

Warner Bros. Gets a Bitter Final Note Before the Merger

The Digger result also lands at a difficult moment for Warner Bros.

The studio is on the cusp of its merger with Paramount, and Digger now looks like one of the final big swings of the current Warner Bros. leadership era. That makes the failure feel larger than one movie.

Warner Bros. has had a rough year domestically, with several expensive films underperforming. Digger adds to that problem because it was not a small, contained risk. It was an expensive original film from a major filmmaker, built around one of the world’s biggest movie stars.

The result may make future studio leadership more cautious about large-budget auteur-driven projects, especially ones without obvious franchise or genre hooks. That would be unfortunate creatively, but the economics here are hard to ignore.

Hollywood needs big swings. But this weekend showed what happens when the swing misses.

Resident Evil Keeps the Horror Run Alive

In second place, Resident Evil earned $12.5 million in its third weekend.

That brings the horror reboot to about $125 million domestic, an excellent result for a franchise that was being revived after years of uneven momentum. The film has slowed after its huge debut, but it remains one of the clearest fall wins.

The movie’s success fits the larger 2026 horror story. Horror has been one of the year’s most reliable theatrical categories, from microbudget breakouts to internet-born hits to familiar franchise plays. Resident Evil sits closer to the franchise end of that spectrum, but the result still matters: the right creative reset can make an old property feel alive again.

For Sony, this is a strong result. The movie has already done enough domestically to justify the reboot, and international markets should continue to help given the franchise’s global history.

Heart of the Beast Holds Well

Heart of the Beast finished third with $11 million, a solid hold after last weekend’s opening.

The Brad Pitt survival thriller has now reached about $38.3 million domestic after 10 days. That is not a breakout yet, but the hold is encouraging, especially for an adult-skewing drama in a crowded marketplace.

The film’s biggest challenge remains its reported cost. With a production budget around $80 million, it needs more than decent domestic holds to fully work. But the movie’s audience response has been strong, and its international performance has helped push the global total close to the $100 million mark.

This is the type of film that needs legs. So far, the second weekend suggests it may have enough audience goodwill to keep moving.

Primetime Continues A24’s Strong Fall

A24’s Primetime took fourth place with $8 million, bringing its domestic total to about $34.1 million.

That is a good result for a true-crime media drama starring Robert Pattinson. The movie opened well last weekend and held strongly enough to remain in the top five, even with Verity taking over the adult thriller lane.

The subject matter is specific, but that specificity may be part of the appeal. A24 has become especially good at turning unusual, conversation-starting films into theatrical events for younger and more media-literate audiences.

Primetime may not become a massive mainstream hit, but it is another example of A24 finding real box office space outside the traditional studio lanes.

Forgotten Island Shows Signs of Life

DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island earned $7.2 million, bringing its domestic total to about $23.6 million.

After a soft opening last weekend, this hold is better news. The original animated film still faces a tough road, but the audience response has been strong, and the second-weekend performance suggests families may be discovering it gradually.

Original animation remains a difficult theatrical category. Families are often more willing to show up for known brands like Toy Story, Minions, or PAW Patrol. Forgotten Island does not have that built-in advantage, which makes its path harder.

Still, a decent second weekend gives it some room to keep building, especially if word-of-mouth remains positive.

Avengers: Endgame Encore Falls, But Makes History

After opening at No. 1 last weekend, Avengers: Endgame Encore dropped to seventh with $4.4 million domestic.

That is a steep decline, but re-releases are often front-loaded. The bigger story is global history. The re-release added enough worldwide revenue for Avengers: Endgame to retake the all-time global box office crown from Avatar, with a lifetime total of about $2.9255 billion.

That is a major symbolic win for Marvel. Endgame and Avatar have traded the top spot through re-releases, and this latest round gives Disney and Marvel another headline ahead of Avengers: Doomsday.

The domestic weekend drop does not really matter. The re-release did its job: it reactivated Marvel nostalgia, added meaningful money, and put Endgame back at No. 1 all time globally.

Drishyam: The Conclusion Cracks the Top 10

Drishyam: The Conclusion opened in eighth place with $2.7 million.

That is a strong showing for an Indian-language release in North America and another reminder that diaspora audiences continue to be an important part of the box office. These films often do not receive the same mainstream marketing attention as Hollywood releases, but they can still generate meaningful weekend totals when the fanbase is motivated.

The result also adds variety to the chart. A domestic top 10 with a Colleen Hoover thriller, horror reboot, Brad Pitt survival film, A24 media drama, Tom Cruise prestige flop, animation, Marvel re-release, Indian thriller, witchy sequel, and superhero holdover is unusually broad.

That breadth is good for theaters.

Practical Magic 2 and Spider-Man Keep Adding

Practical Magic 2 earned $2.7 million, bringing its domestic total to about $64.8 million.

The sequel has not become a major breakout, but it has played steadily enough as a fall-friendly nostalgia title. It may also have a longer shelf life as October viewing ramps up, even if its theatrical ceiling is now clear.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day rounded out the top 10 with $2.5 million, bringing its domestic total to about $954.5 million.

At this point, Spider-Man is simply adding to one of the biggest theatrical runs ever. It is deep into its release, but its overall 2026 impact remains enormous.

The Bigger Story: A Weekend of Clear Winners and Clear Warnings

The domestic box office totaled about $99 million across reporting films, down from last weekend but still up compared with the same frame last year.

That makes this a solid early-October weekend, but the individual stories are more useful than the total.

Verity is a clear win. It proves that adult women, book fans, and thriller audiences can drive a real theatrical opening when the release is positioned correctly.

Resident Evil is still a win. It confirms horror’s 2026 strength and shows how a tired franchise can be revived with the right creative direction.

Heart of the Beast and Primetime are encouraging adult-skewing performers. Neither is guaranteed to become a massive hit, but both are contributing to a healthier marketplace.

Digger is the warning. Expensive, original, auteur-driven studio films are risky, even with Tom Cruise. The problem is not that studios should stop taking risks. The problem is that the risk needs to match the audience demand, the budget, and the marketing hook.

That is the larger lesson of the weekend. Theaters are not weak. Audiences are showing up. But they are very selective. Movies need a reason to matter.

International Box Office

Internationally, Verity opened strongly with about $30 million overseas, matching its domestic debut and bringing the film to $62.6 million worldwide. That is a very strong global start for an adult thriller and gives Amazon MGM a clear fall win.

Digger managed only $12 million internationally from 74 markets, bringing its global debut to $20 million. For a Tom Cruise film, that is especially weak. Cruise usually travels well overseas, but this movie did not connect internationally either.

Avengers: Endgame Encore added $14.4 million overseas this weekend, enough to push Endgame back ahead of Avatar as the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. Its new lifetime total is about $2.9255 billion.

Heart of the Beast has now reached about $98.7 million worldwide, which helps its overall picture even though it still needs strong holds to offset its reported budget.

Resident Evil remains the key genre holdover globally, with the franchise’s international history likely to help it continue adding overseas in the coming weeks.

Bottom line: Verity gave the box office a strong No. 1 built on book-fan momentum and female audience turnout, while Digger became one of the year’s most expensive disappointments. The weekend’s broader message is simple: clear hooks are winning, vague prestige is struggling, and horror remains one of 2026’s safest theatrical bets.