‘It Ends With Us’: The Press Tour Drama, Explained

The Blake Lively romantic drama “It Ends With Us” revolves around a florist, and the film’s marketing campaign, including the red carpet and the posters, has been entirely floral-themed. But the press tour has hardly come up roses.

The movie itself is a box office hit, earning $50 million after its release last weekend. The plot centers on Lily Bloom (Lively), who escapes a rough childhood, opens her dream flower store and soon meets her seemingly dream guy, Ryle Kincaid, played by the film’s director, Justin Baldoni.

Based on a best-selling Colleen Hoover novel, “It Ends With Us” is ultimately about breaking the cycle of domestic violence that entraps one generation after another. But the film has been at the center of a surprisingly varied number of controversies that have raised a number of questions:

Has there been a rift between Baldoni and the cast?

Hints that things were off first surfaced at the New York and European premieres. Though Baldoni was in attendance, he wasn’t posing for the cameras with anyone else involved in the movie and wasn’t participating in joint interviews. Fans speculated that this was a marketing tactic, given that he plays an abusive husband. The theory seemed to be that the distance was a statement about not romanticizing the relationship between the Lively and Baldoni characters.

But that conjecture was quickly discarded when it emerged that Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, other cast members and even Hoover had unfollowed Baldoni on social media. The interpersonal drama was fueled by reports of conflict during the making of the film — all of it related by anonymous sources, of course.

Does the rift involve Ryan Reynolds?

Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, secured the rights to the book in 2019, and in 2023 it was announced that Lively had signed on to star. Crucially, both had executive producer roles.

That matters because interviews on the press tour suggested there were creative differences between Baldoni and Lively. When “Entertainment Tonight” asked Baldoni if he would direct an adaptation of the sequel, “It Starts With Us,” he said, “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct. That’s what I think.”

The suspicions of differences was further fueled by Lively’s revelation that Reynolds had had a hand in the script.

On the red carpet with E! News, she said that Reynolds, whose “Deadpool & Wolverine” is also in theaters now, was very involved in “It Ends With Us,” despite not having any formal role, and that he was responsible for adapting a scene. “The iconic rooftop scene in this movie, my husband wrote it. Nobody knows that,” she said.

The screenwriter, Christy Hall, told People that she was unaware of any rewrite, and instead thought the actors were improvising.

Additionally, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Lively commissioned a cut of the film from Shane Reid, the same editor who worked on “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The biggest unanswered question gripping Hollywood is whether Baldoni or Lively’s cut is what ultimately got released.

Is the marketing campaign downplaying the issue of domestic violence?

Lively’s promotion of the movie has included a push for her new hair care line, discussion of the clothes in the movie and responses to questions about abuse, which have been criticized as shallow and tone deaf. On the official “It Ends With Us” movie TikTok page, Lively says, “Grab your friends, wear your florals and head out to see it.”

To some social media users, that seems off for a film about domestic violence and has inspired TikToks of people mocking her light approach. One TikTok user, @hiremeimfunny, has posted a series titled “if other movies were promoted like ‘It Ends With Us.’” In one video, she says, “Calling all boy moms — grab your snacks and bring your son to the family movie of the year, ‘Requiem for a Dream.’ Only in theaters, not in your mind.”

Baldoni, by contrast, has emphasized the importance of raising awareness of domestic violence and providing resources for those in similar situations.

“If a Lily Bloom in real life can sit in this theater, and make a different choice for herself than the one that was made for her, maybe she sees herself on that screen and chooses something different for herself,” Baldoni said in a red carpet interview. His company, Wayfarer, also partnered with No More Foundation to provide resources and information about abuse.