Amazon MGM’s “Verity” is leading the box office on a weekend that is up 17% from last year thanks to a mix of September holdovers and approximately $40 million combined from two tepidly received newcomers.
“Verity” accounts for the vast majority of that as it earned $15 million from 3,510 locations on opening day and is headed for a $33 million opening weekend while Warner Bros./Legendary’s “Digger,” the final film before Paramount acquires the 103-year-old studio, is falling to a $7.5 million opening after grossing just $3.4 million from 3,321 locations, including Imax support.
Starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson and produced on a reported $40 million budget, “Verity” will turn a modest theatrical profit for Amazon MGM and should likely get plenty of streaming attention on Prime Video.
But it is also likely to be a frontloaded title that won’t provide as much market support through October as hoped as it has earned a C+ on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 34% critics and 70% audience. For a good number of fans of Colleen Hoover’s book who made up the early CinemaScore audience, “Verity” doesn’t seem to have the creepy, steamy thrills of its source material.
For “Digger,” the box office outlook is even worse given that the film has a budget of at least $125 million, with some reports putting it at $160 million or higher. A film that has Oscar hopes for lead star Tom Cruise, known over the past decade and a half for his box office performance, will instead become his lowest opening weekend since the 2007 film “Lions for Lambs,” a war drama he starred in alongside Robert Redford and Meryl Streep and which opened to $6.7 million.
Directed by Alejandro Inarritu, “Digger” has firmly divided critics and audiences alike, earning a C+ on CinemaScore and earning Rotten Tomatoes scores of 51% critics and 71% audience. Its reception is similar to a high-profile bomb from Warner’s new owners, Paramount’s “Babylon,” which only made $65.2 million worldwide but gained a cult following among some hardcore movie lovers.
With its wild performances and dramatic set design, “Digger” might also attain cult status in the years ahead. But it is set to end Warner’s run as its own studio as a pricey misfire.
Among holdovers, Sony’s “Resident Evil” is looking better in its third weekend with $12.5 million to bring its domestic total to $125 million. Paramount’s “Heart of the Beast,” which faces an uphill climb to profitability, is getting decent holds so far with an $11 million second weekend after a $20 million opening to bring its domestic total to $38.3 million, though it will need overseas help to recoup its $80 million production spend before marketing costs.
A24’s “Primetime” dropped 56% from its $19 million opening to $8 million in its second weekend for a domestic total of $34 million against a $15 million budget. Finally, Universal/DreamWorks’ “Forgotten Island” fell 50% from a poor $13 million opening weekend, leaving the film with a $6.6 million second weekend and an anemic $23 million domestic total against an $80 million budget.
More to come…