Verity opened as the No. 1 film in America, achieving $32 million domestically and $62 million globally over the weekend of October 2 despite receiving a poor 34% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. But the movie had something going for it: a dedicated fan base of women who made Colleen Hoover’s novel a bestseller.

If that pattern sounds familiar, it should. In December 2025, The Housemaid became a hit movie largely because a predominantly-female audience discovered Freida McFadden’s novel on TikTok, bought millions of copies, and then embraced the movie.

In the case of Verity, 78% of the audience consisted of women.

Whether the popularity of Verity endures amid negative reviews remains to be seen, but the strong opening weekend is another example of how women are exerting their influence at the box office. Three years ago, Barbie proved that a movie marketed toward women could achieve blockbuster success. In recent months, several films have demonstrated that women are driving theatrical attendance across family animation, adult thrillers and female-led event movies.

‘Wuthering Heights’ Turned Romance Into An Event

Amid the flurry of massive opening weekends in 2026, it’s easy to forget that Wuthering Heights delivered the biggest opening of 2026 at the time over Valentine’s Day weekend, earning $34.8 million in its first........

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