The news is 'hardly' surprising. = The news is 'hardly' a surprise. [=the news is not surprising at all]
“Is this a new idea for a movie?” “'Hardly'! I've seen dozens of movies just like it.”
I could 'hardly' believe my eyes. [=it was difficult to believe what I was seeing]
(..) I was a national celebrity, Here he is, Forrest Gump. Right here. - Forrest Gump, John Lennon. - Welcome home. Can you tell us, what was China like? In the land of China, people hardly got nothin' at all. No possessions? And in China, they never go to church. - No religion, too? - Hard to imagine. (..)1994 Forrest Gump