The Big Picture
-
It Ends With Us
made a surprising debut at number one, grossing $24 million on Friday, with a strong audience approval rating. - Despite mixed reviews, the romantic drama is expected to surpass $40 million in its debut weekend, thanks to warm fan response.
- Meanwhile, the video game adaptation
Borderlands
is struggling, with poor reviews and a disappointing opening day gross of under $5 million.
In a rare and amusing turn of events at the domestic box office, two movies starring a married couple are poised to take first and second place this weekend. The holdover super-hit Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Ryan Reynolds, will likely hang on to the top position after two weeks at number one, while the romantic drama It Ends with Us, starring Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, is set to finish at number two. Combined,the two films might just crack the $100 million mark across three days, ensuring that the party at the Reynolds-Lively household continues well into its second month.
On Friday, however, It Ends with Ustook the number one spot, grossing around $24 million. This includes the massive $7 million that the movie made in Thursday previews. Directed by Justin Baldoni and based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling 2016 novelIt Ends with Us opened to mixed reviews. The movie is currently sitting at a 57% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with Collider’s Isabella Soares describing it as an “an emotional and effective depiction of domestic violence and how to find the strength to overcome it,” in her review.
But it’s the fan response that’s striking. It Ends with Us currently has a 94% audience approval rating on RT, in addition to an A- CinemaScore from opening day audiences. Not only does this indicate a stronger-than-anticipated performance this weekend, but also across the next few weeks. The movie is currently eying over $40 million in its debut weekend, although this number can easily increase to $50 million given that warm audience response. Deadpool & Wolverine, on the other hand, grossed around $15 million on its third Friday, and is expected to generate more than $50 million across the weekend. This should push the film’s running domestic total closer to the $500 million mark; it currently stands at over $450 million.
Video Game Adaptations Just Can’t Catch a Break
The third and fifth spots on Friday went to two Universal movies — Twisters, which recently passed the $200 million milestone, and Despicable Me 4, which is nearing the $350 million mark. Twisters is eying around $15 million this weekend after grossing $4.4 million on its fourth Friday, while Despicable Me 4 should add another $10 million to its tally by Sunday, after having generated around $2.5 million on its sixth Friday.
At number four, Lionsgate’s costly Borderlands is bombing with under $5 million on opening day. Directed by Eli Roth and with Cate Blanchett leading a stacked cast, the video game adaptation has had a difficult production that saw re-shoots without Roth on set, and writer Craig Mazin having his name removed from the final movie. Borderlands is eying under $10 million in its first weekend, which spells doom considering its reported $110 million budget. Reviews have been poor, with the movie currently sitting at just 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. Just outside the top five, Neon’s Cuckoo, starring Hunter Schafer, grossed under $1.5 million on opening day. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
It Ends With Us
Lily believes she’s found true love with Ryle, but when a painful incident triggers past trauma, she must decide if love alone can carry her marriage through. However, things are complicated when her first love returns to her life.
- Release Date
- June 21, 2024
- Director
- Justin Baldoni
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