5 October 2026 (Navroze Bureau) Tom Cruise has faced an unexpected setback at the box office as his latest film, Digger, reportedly delivered the weakest opening of his career, while Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson’s psychological thriller Verity claimed the top position in the North American box office rankings.
The disappointing performance of Digger comes as a surprise given Cruise’s long-standing reputation as one of Hollywood’s biggest global stars. Over several decades, the actor has built a remarkable theatrical record, particularly with large-scale action films that have attracted audiences around the world.
However, Digger has struggled to generate the same level of enthusiasm. The film opened to modest numbers and was unable to compete with Verity, which benefited from strong audience interest and a prominent cast led by Hathaway and Johnson.
The result marks a notable change for Cruise, whose recent theatrical releases have generally performed strongly. His name has remained closely associated with major Hollywood blockbusters, with franchises such as Mission: Impossible and Top Gun helping him maintain a powerful presence at the global box office.
Digger, however, has failed to match those recent successes. Its opening weekend performance has been described as the worst in Cruise’s career, putting additional focus on the film’s reception and its prospects in the weeks ahead.
The film’s underwhelming start is particularly significant because opening weekend performance is often considered an important indicator of a movie’s commercial potential. A weak debut can make it difficult for a film to maintain strong theatrical momentum, particularly when competing against releases that have attracted larger audiences.
By contrast, Verity has emerged as the biggest theatrical winner of the weekend. The film, featuring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, has taken the No. 1 position at the box office, giving it an early advantage over competing releases.
Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel of the same name, Verity belongs to the psychological thriller genre. The story revolves around a successful writer who is brought into a troubled family situation and becomes increasingly drawn into a mystery involving an unfinished manuscript and disturbing revelations.
The combination of Hoover’s large readership and the film’s high-profile cast has helped generate considerable interest. Hathaway’s participation has also added significant star power, while Johnson brings her established presence from a range of dramatic and commercially successful films.
The contrasting fortunes of Digger and Verity demonstrate how unpredictable the theatrical market can be. Even established stars can experience disappointing openings, while films from different genres can outperform expectations when they connect strongly with audiences.
For Cruise, the performance of Digger does not necessarily signal a long-term decline in his box-office appeal. His career has included occasional films that performed below expectations, followed by major commercial successes. The actor’s ability to attract audiences remains closely linked to the projects he chooses and the scale and appeal of their theatrical campaigns.
Cruise has also built much of his recent success around event-style cinema. His return as Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible franchise and his appearance in Top Gun: Maverick reinforced his reputation for delivering large-scale theatrical experiences. Top Gun: Maverick, in particular, became one of the biggest successes of his career.
That history makes the opening of Digger more noteworthy. The film’s performance will now be watched closely to determine whether it can recover through strong weekday business, international markets and longer theatrical legs.
The success of Verity, meanwhile, provides a reminder of the continuing appeal of psychological thrillers at the box office. Films based on popular books can benefit from an established audience, particularly when recognizable actors are attached to the adaptation.
Hathaway and Johnson’s pairing has also generated attention around the movie. Both actors have substantial fan bases, while the mystery-driven storyline gives the film an opportunity to appeal to viewers looking for an alternative to action-heavy releases.
The box-office rankings could change significantly in the coming weeks as audiences respond to new releases and existing films attempt to maintain momentum. For now, however, Verity has secured the weekend’s top position, while Digger faces the challenge of overcoming a disappointing debut.
The contrasting results also underline the changing dynamics of Hollywood’s theatrical business. Star power remains important, but audience interest can depend on genre, story, marketing, reviews, franchise familiarity and competition during a particular release weekend.
For Tom Cruise, the immediate focus will be on whether Digger can build momentum after its weak opening. For Verity, the challenge will be to maintain its No. 1 position and convert its strong debut into sustained box-office success.
The weekend ultimately produced an unexpected outcome: a major Hollywood star recording a career-low opening while a psychological thriller led by Hathaway and Johnson climbed to the top of the box office. It is another example of how quickly the theatrical landscape can shift, even for the industry’s most recognizable names.