After hitting the red carpets in support of her husband Ryan Reynolds’ “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Blake Lively is finally back on the big screen with Sony’s “It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of author Colleen Hoover’s popular romance novel.
“It Ends With Us” has made $7 million at the box office in Thursday previews. It’s projected to make between $25 million and $35 million, though some estimates put it even higher at $40 million to $50 million. Fans of the book, which blew up in popularity on TikTok in recent years, could turn out in higher droves than expected. Female audiences in particular could drive up ticket sales, and it’s possible the Friday opening of “It Ends With Us” even beats “Deadpool & Wolverine” for that day.
However, the Marvel blockbuster is expected to conquer the box office for the third straight week and add $47 million to $50 million. The record-breaking, R-rated MCU film, starring Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, will pass $1 billion globally in the next few days.
“It Ends With Us” stars Lively as Lily Bloom, a florist who meets neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by star and director Justin Baldoni. They begin a relationship, but then Lily runs into her childhood friend Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), which makes Ryle jealous. The three have a complicated relationship with each other, and Lily must decide who she ends up with. The film only cost $25 million to produce, so it could turn a tidy profit by the end of its box office run.
Also opening this weekend is Lionsgate’s video game adaptation “Borderlands,” starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jack Black. With $12 million to $16 million projected in its opening weekend and a budget of $115 million, it’s shaping up to be a misfire. It made $1.32 million in Thursday previews.