Amazon MGM Studios' _Verity_, based on Colleen Hoover's popular novel, proved to be a significant draw, commanding an impressive $33.6 million in its opening weekend. This performance marks the second-best debut for a big-screen adaptation of a Hoover novel, further cementing her influence in the cinematic landscape. The film, which stars Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett, saw a predominantly female audience turnout, with 79% of viewers being women, and a 50% definite recommend score on Screen Engine/Rentrak PostTrak exits.

Despite its strong box office numbers, Verity landed a C+ CinemaScore, which is the lowest for a Hoover adaptation to date. However, industry observers note that similar scores haven't hampered comparable films, citing Fifty Shades of Grey (also a C+) as an example of a film that found success despite a lukewarm critical reception from initial audiences.

In stark contrast, Warner Bros.' _Digger_, a high-concept feature directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise, struggled to find its footing, opening to a disappointing $8 million. This figure represents Tom Cruise's lowest opening weekend in 19 years, since 2007's Lions for Lambs which earned $6.7 million on a significantly smaller budget. With a reported production cost exceeding $160 million, Digger's soft debut presents a considerable challenge for the studio, especially amidst news of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy's departure.

Digger, described as a "heavy dialogue driven, political absurdist satire" with a meta twist, also received a C+ CinemaScore. While this is a relatively low score, it's considered better than some of Iñárritu's more polarizing films. Audience demographics for Digger skewed younger and male, with 60% of moviegoers between 18-34 and 73% male. Its definite recommend score was low at 47%.

Word-of-mouth for Digger proved to be mixed-negative, with RelishMix metrics showing a decline in positive chatter. According to RelishMix, "Chatter has been mixed-negative for Digger. There’s skepticism with viewers who love the idea of Cruise, but side-eye the execution." Some audience comments highlighted confusion about the film's genre and tonal identity, with one viewer remarking, "I understand even less about this movie after the full trailer than I did after the teaser."

Despite the significant underperformance of Digger, the overall box office picture for the weekend was positive, contributing to the third consecutive $100M+ weekend this fall. September's domestic box office also proved robust, marking the second-best post-COVID September with $601.9 million, as reported by Deadline.