Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us, despite all the controversies surrounding it, became a massive hit at the box office. The film, based on Colleen Hoover’s popular romantic drama of the same name, received immense media attention for several reasons starting from an alleged feud between the leads to intense backlash received by Blake Lively for her problematic media approach.
The fans were displeased to see Blake Lively’s extremely lighthearted approach while promoting a film focusing on issues of domestic violence. Now, according to the latest reports, Lively is very unhappy with the intense online backlash. The Gossip Girl alum is reportedly concerned that the massive drama will severely impact her career.
Blake Lively suspects that the It Ends With Us fiasco has ruined her career
A rift among the leads of It Ends With Us was suspected when the actor and director Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively failed to do any press meet together. Although Baldoni was in attendance at the screenings, he did not join his associates for photos or interviews. While initially it was believed to be a promotional strategy, soon it was reported to be a feud after Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and many other crew members unfollowed Baldoni on social media.
Reportedly, the director cum actor not only had an on-set feud with Blake Lively over creative differences but was also “borderline abusive” on the set. According to Daily Mail, the Five Feet Apart director was allegedly unprofessional to several women on set and almost became identical to the main character of the Colleen Hoover novel.
On the other hand, Blake Lively also came under intense public scrutiny for her promotional campaign. Fans were displeased with how she publicized her haircare brand, passed some shallow statements regarding domestic violence, and even involved her alcohol company in the promotion. Now Daily Mail has reported that the online backlash extremely saddens the actress.
Blake is definitely saddened by the hate she is getting and is trying not to let it affect her but it is. She thought this was her moment to shine but is now looking at it like the end of her career. She’s fearing no one will want to work with her after this. She really wants to continue producing and directing and acting but she knows she needs to take a step back for a minute to reassess the future.
An old interview of the actress was also pulled out by a journalist who claimed that the Savages actress made her very uncomfortable during an interview in 2016. All these factors combined threw a bad light on Lively’s image and many fans have opined that she should have been more mature in handling this film.
Blake Lively’s association with It Ends With Us also has a positive side
Although Blake Lively went terribly wrong with the marketing campaign of the 2024 romantic drama, she is also one of the primary contributors to its box office success (around $210.5 Million via The Numbers). The Green Lantern actress not only promoted the film to the TikTok booklovers community but was also involved in the film’s editing process.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 37-year-old actress had even commissioned a different cut from the Deadpool & Wolverine editor Shane Reid. Reportedly, the theatrical cut is based on Lively’s version. Besides all these, Blake Lively’s performance in the film has also received praise from both Colleen Hoover and the critics. It cannot be denied that her empowering performance was overshadowed by the controversies.
While we may have to wait for some time for the fiasco to fade out before hearing anything about a possible sequel, there is a chance that we may spot Blake Lively in the director’s chair. Contrary to Lively’s concerns, The Hollywood Reporter states that Sony is willing to reunite with the Café Society alum- “We love working with Blake, and we want to do 12 more movies with her.”
Even Justin Baldoni has hinted to Entertainment Tonight that he may not return to the director’s chair and Lively may be a better choice for it. Nevertheless, is still debatable as the rights to the sequels are owned by Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios. It will be interesting to see if Lively agrees to work on a sequel with the Jane the Virgin fame attached as a producer.
It Ends With Us is running in theaters near you.
