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It Ends with Us (film)
It Ends with Us is a 2024 American romantic drama film directed by Justin Baldoni from a screenplay by Christy Hall, based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover. The film stars Blake Lively alongside Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, and Hasan Minhaj. The story follows florist Lily Bloom (Lively), whose troubled relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) is compounded when her ex-boyfriend Atlas Corrigan (Sklenar) re-enters her life. Principal photography on It Ends with Us took place from mid 2023 to early 2024, with pauses due to the 2023 WGA strike and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. It Ends with Us had its premiere at the AMC Lincoln Square in New York City on August 6, 2024, and was released by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States on August 9. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but was a box-office success, grossing $351 million worldwide against a $25 million budget. The production became mired in controversy due to disputes between Lively and Baldoni, with the former drawing criticism for not addressing the film's themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse during its promotional tour. In December 2024, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, accusing them of sexual harassment and intimidation. Denying the allegations, Baldoni sued the New York Times for libel over their siding with Lively's account of events, and later sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloan for civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.[4] PlotLily Bloom visits her hometown in Maine to deliver a eulogy at her father Andrew's funeral. At the funeral, she says she will list five of her favorite things about him, but stares silently at her empty list before walking off. Back home in Boston, Lily sits on the rooftop of an apartment complex when a man arrives and angrily kicks a chair. He apologizes, introduces himself as Ryle Kincaid, and reveals that he is a neurosurgeon. They flirt, but their encounter is cut short when Ryle is called for an emergency surgery. While renovating the building that will become her first flower shop, Lily Bloom's, Lily meets Allysa, who is looking for work. Lily hires Allysa and they soon become close friends. Lily later learns that Ryle is Allysa's brother. At Allysa's birthday party, Ryle confesses to Lily that he is infatuated with her. They kiss, but Lily stops him from going further, citing that he is only interested in casual sex while she wants a relationship. She spends the night at his apartment without having sex. The next morning, she agrees to date him. Ryle convinces Lily to take him to meet her mother, Jenny, at a new restaurant, Root; while there, Lily discovers that the owner and head chef is her high school boyfriend, Atlas Corrigan. A series of flashbacks reveals that Lily's father was physically abusive to Jenny. One day, Lily discovered Atlas living in a vacant home next door after he ran away to escape his mother's abusive boyfriend. Lily befriended him, and they soon fell in love. Upon finding Lily and Atlas in bed, Andrew severely beat Atlas, resulting in the latter being hospitalized. Atlas then left for the Marines, and consequently did not see Lily for many years. One morning, Ryle burns his hand while cooking breakfast. When Lily tries to help him, he slaps her, but immediately apologizes and insists it was an accident. He later takes Lily, Allysa, and Allysa's husband Marshall to dinner at Root, where Atlas notices Lily's bruised eye and Ryle's bandaged hand. Atlas confronts her in the bathroom and implores her to leave Ryle. Ryle finds them and assumes the worst, leading to a physical altercation that culminates in Atlas ejecting Ryle. Atlas visits Lily's shop to apologize and gives her his phone number in case she ever needs it. Lily tells Ryle about the history of abuse in her family. While visiting Allysa and Marshall in the hospital following the birth of their daughter, Ryle proposes to Lily, which she accepts. Soon after they elope, Ryle finds Atlas' number hidden in Lily's phone case. In the ensuing argument, he pushes Lily down the stairs and knocks her unconscious, though later he claims she accidentally fell and that he tried to catch her. Both Lily Bloom's and Root are featured in a local magazine, including an interview with Atlas in which he explains he named the restaurant in Lily's honor. In a jealous rage, Ryle attempts to rape her. She escapes and seeks out Atlas. He takes her to the hospital, where she discovers that she is pregnant. She stays with Atlas for a few days, during which he reveals that he planned to commit suicide on the night she found him, but she inspired him to continue living. When Lily opens up to Allysa about Ryle, Allysa confides that, at six years old, Ryle accidentally shot and killed their older brother, Emerson, leading to unresolved trauma that manifests in bouts of uncontrollable rage. She insists that Lily not take Ryle back. Lily moves out, though Ryle implores her to return, promising to seek help and cease the abuse. Shortly after giving birth to their daughter, whom they name after Emerson, Lily tells Ryle she wants a divorce. He begs her to reconsider but finally agrees after she asks him how he would react if their daughter were being abused by a partner. She hopes she has finally ended the cycle of abuse in her family, telling her daughter, "It ends with us." Months later, Lily and Jenny take Emerson to visit Andrew's grave, where Lily leaves the blank eulogy on his headstone. Lily later encounters Atlas at a market. She tells him that she is no longer with Ryle, and they smile at each other. Cast
ProductionIn July 2019, Justin Baldoni optioned the novel for a film adaptation, to be produced through his Wayfarer Studios company.[7] In January 2023, Blake Lively was cast in the role of Lily Bloom. Baldoni, who plays Ryle Kincaid, also signed on as director with Christy Hall adapting the script.[8][9] In April 2023, Brandon Sklenar was cast to play the role of Atlas.[10] Principal photography began in Hoboken, New Jersey, on May 5, 2023,[11] with shooting taking place along 10th and Bloomfield Streets. The production took over Field Colony, a workspace and art gallery, for six weeks, transforming it into a cafe then Lily Bloom's florist shop. In mid-May 2023, filming moved to Chatham, New Jersey, where scenes were shot at Fair Mount Cemetery.[12][13] Later that same month, Hasan Minhaj was announced to have joined the cast.[14] The next month, production had to temporarily pause due to the 2023 WGA strike.[15] Just over half of the film was completed when production shut down.[16] The production was still on hold when the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14, 2023.[17] Filming resumed in the Newport neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey, on January 5, 2024.[18][19] That same month, Isabela Ferrer and Alex Neustaedter joined the cast as the younger versions of Lily and Atlas, respectively.[20] Rob Simonsen and Duncan Blickenstaff composed the film's score. Madison Gate Records released the soundtrack, coinciding with the film's theatrical release date.[21] ControversiesMarketingDuring her promotional tour for the film, Lively received criticism from social media users who accused her of being "tone-deaf" for displaying a "light-hearted humorous" attitude and not explicitly addressing her character's experience of domestic violence and abuse. Users were also critical of Lively for promoting her new haircare line, as well as her drinks brand, during the press tour, and for encouraging moviegoers to wear floral clothes, which some deemed insensitive to the film's messaging surrounding domestic violence. Following the criticism, Lively posted to her Instagram stories in support of victims of intimate partner violence and shared a link to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.[22][23][24] Bridgette Stumpf of The Hollywood Reporter wrote on the issue, "By glossing over its domestic violence content in the film's marketing, and by not providing any content warnings prior to the start of the film, It Ends With Us ultimately fails the survivors it is supposed to advocate for."[25] Conflict between Lively and BaldoniActress Blake Lively (left; pictured in 2011) and director Justin Baldoni (pictured in 2017) Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that an alleged conflict formed between Lively and Baldoni during post-production after the film underwent a week of reshoots and Lively commissioned a second cut of the film from editor Shane Reid.[26][27] Reid had previously worked on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) starring Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, and the Lively-directed Taylor Swift music video "I Bet You Think About Me". The edit used in theaters, reportedly the version Lively preferred,[27] was credited to Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan. In addition, the publication confirmed that Reynolds wrote "a large chunk" of the dialogue for a scene set on a roof, allegedly in April 2023 before the WGA strike, which Baldoni was not told of.[26][28] Speculation about the alleged rift grew on platforms such as TikTok (where the book was massively popular on the "BookTok" subcommunity)[29] in videos that noted Baldoni's absence from joint press events.[26] In August 2024, Baldoni hired public relations crisis manager Melissa Nathan.[30] Sources told Variety that while they would not "articulate any legitimate transgressions from either party" that "the bad blood between the two is very real and the relationship may not be salvageable".[28] Sexual harassment and defamation legal actionOn December 20, 2024, Lively filed a legal complaint with the California Civil Rights Department accusing Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, and their studio Wayfarer of creating a hostile work environment and retaliating against her for reporting misconduct. She also filed a lawsuit against Baldoni for sexual harassment and causing her emotional distress. According to the legal filing, she claimed Baldoni had improvised unwanted kissing and discussed his sex life, Heath had shown her a video of his wife giving birth naked, and both men repeatedly entered her makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed, among other inappropriate actions.[31][32] Documents obtained by Lively via subpoena claimed to show that Baldoni and his agents ran a public relations campaign to damage her reputation, which involved social media manipulation, planting negative stories, and amplifying criticism of her. Lively alleged that this was done in retaliation for her raising concerns and seeking protections on set.[31] Baldoni was dropped by the talent agency WME in response to the allegations and reporting; he denied the allegations through his lawyer.[33][34] The following day, Baldoni's publicist stated that his PR team had "sophomorically reveled" in the Lively coverage, yet "although we were prepared, we didn't have to do anything over the top to protect our client."[35] Lively's civil rights complaint also named businessman Steve Sarowitz, a co-founder of Wayfarer Studio; Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations Inc; crisis manager Melissa Nathan and her company The Agency Group PR LLC; and publicist Jennifer Abel and her company RWA Communications.[31] Baldoni's former publicist Stephanie Jones also filed a defamation lawsuit which alleged that her former employee Jennifer Abel and crisis communications manager Melissa Nathan attempted to cover up Baldoni's on-set behavior while It Ends With Us was being filmed. Jones' lawsuit also alleged that efforts were made to undermine her reputation.[36][37] On December 31, 2024, Baldoni responded with a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times, saying that the newspaper had defamed him.[38] Initially, Baldoni did not file a lawsuit against Lively. However, Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's attorney in the lawsuit against The New York Times, in an interview with Megyn Kelly, said that he would sue Lively "into oblivion", and sue several others in the case as well, including Stephanie Jones and Ryan Reynolds.[39] Freedman alleged that Reynolds' character of Nicepool in Deadpool & Wolverine was based on Baldoni, given their nearly identical hairstyle and jokes in regards to Lively's Ladypool character and her baby.[40] On January 16, 2025, Baldoni filed a lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and Leslie Sloane, Lively's PR representative, alleging extortion, defamation and breach of contract, seeking at least $400 million in damages.[41] On January 23, Lively's legal team filed a gag order against Freedman, accusing him of continuing to engage in a smear campaign against Lively by repeatedly revealing information to the press.[42] ReleaseIt Ends with Us premiered at the AMC Lincoln Square in New York City on August 6, 2024.[43] The film was originally set to be released theatrically in the United States on February 9, 2024,[16] and June 21, 2024,[44] but the release date was pushed back to August 9, 2024.[45] It was released earlier on August 7 in Belgium,[46] Finland,[47] the Philippines,[48] and Sweden.[49] It Ends with Us was released on VOD on September 24, 2024, and was released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 5, 2024.[50][51] It became available to stream starting on December 9 on Netflix.[52] ReceptionBox officeIt Ends with Us grossed $148.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $202.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $351 million.[3][53] Variety said the film would net at least $25–30 million in profits for Sony and Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios, with one industry source "[putting] that figure at double", not accounting for box office bonuses for Baldoni and Lively.[28] In the United States and Canada, It Ends with Us was released alongside Borderlands and Cuckoo, and was projected to gross $23–30 million in its opening weekend, with some estimates going as high as $40–50 million.[2] The film made $24 million on its first day, including $7 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $50 million, finishing second behind holdover Deadpool & Wolverine.[54] It marked the first time since 1990 that two films separately starring a married Hollywood couple (in this case, It Ends with Us star Blake Lively and Deadpool & Wolverine star Ryan Reynolds) occupied the number one and two spots at the box office simultaneously, and the first time two films grossed at least $50 million in the same weekend in the month of August.[55][56] In its second weekend the film made $23.8 million (a drop of 52.4%), finishing in third.[57] The film crossed $100 million domestically on August 19, after eleven days in theaters.[58] It ended its theatrical run after three months.[3] Critical responseReception of the film from critics was mixed.[59][60][61] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of 187 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Earnestly performed if marred by clunky dialogue, It Ends with Us is surprisingly at its most graceful when handling the more provocative elements of its melodramatic source material."[62] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[63] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 85% positive score, with 69% saying they would definitely recommend it.[54] Wendy Ide of The Observer gave the film three out of five stars, writing: "For a film that dips its Manolo-clad toe into the murky waters of domestic abuse, it's unexpectedly aspirational, almost frothy in tone."[64] The Globe and Mail's Johanna Schneller praised Lively's performance, writing: "Beyond nailing Lily's exact shade of auburn hair, funky/sexy dress and vision-notebook stuffed with flowers, she also conveys her luminousness and strength, and reminds you how pleasurable it can be to watch a romantic thriller."[65] Kevin Maher of The Times gave it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a glossy, sometimes soapy but always compelling adaptation."[66] Hannah Giorgis of The Atlantic was more critical, writing: "To young people who have become inured to the misery of modern life, there's a seductive premise in these novels: Relentless suffering can give way to freedom—and hot sex—if women want it badly enough. On-screen, performed by real people, it's not as convincing."[67] The Sydney Morning Herald's reviewer Sandra Hall gave the film two and a half out of five stars, saying that it was "packed with erotic cliches overlaid with a rolling soundtrack of pop hits that includes songs by Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey", and called the dialogue "risible".[68] Potential sequelIn August 2024, following the release of the film, director Justin Baldoni acknowledged the potential for a film adaptation of the sequel novel It Starts with Us. However, he later stated that he would not return in his role as director, suggesting that Blake Lively direct the film instead.[69][70] Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios holds the rights to It Ends with Us and It Starts with Us after acquiring them in 2019.[28] References
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