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]
(..) upon the gold a terrible curse. Any mortal that removes but a single piece from that stone chest shall be punished for eternity. I hardly believe in ghost stories anymore, Captain. Aye. That's exactly what I thought when we were told the tale. Buried on an island of dead (..)2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl