Topline
In a tight box office battle between films led by husband-and-wife duo Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Lively’s “It Ends With Us” has led Reynolds’ “Deadpool & Wolverine” at the box office for three straight days, claiming its own victories after “Deadpool” won the box office weekend.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds star in two films dueling at the box office. (Photo by Cindy … [+] Ord/Getty Images)
Key Facts
“It Ends With Us” won the Wednesday box office with $5.5 million grossed from theaters in the United States and Canada, narrowly edging out “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which grossed $5.3 million, Deadline reported.
“It Ends With Us” was also the top-grossing movie both Monday and Tuesday, besting “Deadpool” in two tight races—on Tuesday, “It Ends With Us” barely edged out “Deadpool,” by less than $50,000, according to Box Office Mojo.
Last weekend, “Deadpool & Wolverine” conquered the box office in its second weekend, beating the opening weekend of “It Ends With Us” in a close race, with Reynolds’ film grossing $53 million and Lively’s film grossing $50 million.
The weekend race was much closer than expected: Lively’s film exceeded expectations, with Deadline previously projecting an opening weekend total of $30 million.
What To Watch For
Whether “It Ends With Us” can continue to defy expectations and surpass “Deadpool & Wolverine” at this weekend’s box office. On Thursday, Deadline projected “Deadpool” would gross about $30 million this coming weekend, with “It Ends With Us” projected to gross about $22 million. Both films are expected to fall behind “Alien: Romulus” in its opening weekend, with Deadline projecting the film could gross more than $40 million.
Big Number
$1.04 billion. That’s how much “Deadpool & Wolverine” has grossed worldwide to date, according to Box Office Mojo. It’s the second-highest grossing film of the year so far and the second to cross the billion-dollar mark after “Inside Out 2,” which has grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide.
Surprising Fact
Lively said Reynolds helped write a scene from “It Ends With Us” that is reportedly a fan-favorite moment from the book. “We help each other. He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does,” Lively said. Some social media users questioned whether Reynolds stepping in to write a scene sparked disputes over creative control with actor-director Justin Baldoni, but The Hollywood Reporter cited anonymous sources claiming Reynolds did not write the entire scene.
Tangent
Speculation over whether Lively and Baldoni are feuding has dominated the conversation surrounding “It Ends With Us.” Unnamed sources told The Hollywood Reporter there was a “fracture” during the post-production process, partly because Lively allegedly commissioned her own cut of the film from “Deadpool & Wolverine” editor Shane Reid, though one source said multiple cuts emerging in post-production is not uncommon. Social media users have noticed much of the “It Ends With Us” cast and author Colleen Hoover do not follow Baldoni on Instagram, though he follows them. Lively and Baldoni have also appeared separately in press interviews, and Lively appears to have refrained from discussing Baldoni by name on the press tour. Baldoni alluded to clashes on set in an interview with Elle, stating there is “always friction that happens when you make a movie like this,” but claimed that is what makes “beautiful art.” Baldoni also reportedly hired a crisis public relations manager, Melissa Nathan, who specializes in reputation management and previously represented Johnny Depp during his trial with Amber Heard.
Further Reading
Did Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Have a Rift Over ‘It Ends With Us’? Sleuthing TikTokers Think So (The Hollywood Reporter)
