Honestly, walking into the theater to see the It Ends with Us show felt like walking into a digital battlefield. You’ve seen the TikToks. You’ve read the threads. By the time Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel actually hit the big screen in August 2024, the movie wasn't just a movie anymore. It was a cultural case study in "how to market a film about domestic violence without actually talking about domestic violence."
Blake Lively stars as Lily Bloom. Justin Baldoni plays Ryle Kincaid. On paper, it’s a powerhouse. But the real show started long before the credits rolled, fueled by a rumored rift between the lead actors that had the internet acting like amateur detectives.
People were obsessed. Why weren't they doing press together? Why did Justin hire a crisis PR manager? If you’re looking for the simple version of what happened with the film adaptation, you’re in the right place, but the reality is way messier than a standard Hollywood press tour.
The Disconnect Between the Marketing and the Message
Here is the thing. It Ends with Us is a heavy story. It deals with generational trauma and the cycle of abuse. Yet, the early marketing for the film felt... floral?
Blake Lively was out there telling fans to "grab your friends, wear your florals," which felt weirdly reminiscent of the Barbie press tour. It was light. It was bubbly. But the source material is anything but. This disconnect is exactly where the online friction started. Many survivors of domestic abuse felt the "It Ends with Us show" being put on by the marketing team was tone-deaf. They argued that by focusing on Lily’s outfits and her flower shop, the campaign was glossing over the very reason the book resonated with millions in the first place.
Justin Baldoni took a different route. He leaned heavily into the advocacy side. He talked about the "Wayfarer Studios" mission and the importance of men taking accountability for violence. You had two leads promoting the same film with completely different vibes. It was jarring. One was selling a rom-com; the other was selling a PSA.
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Why Everyone Is Talking About the Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively Rift
You can’t talk about the It Ends with Us show without talking about the "will they, won't they" of the press tour—except it wasn't about romance, it was about whether they could even stand to be in the same room.
- The Premiere Separation: At the New York premiere, Justin Baldoni didn't pose with the rest of the cast. Not once.
- The Creative Control: Reports surfaced that there were two different cuts of the movie. One was Blake’s, and one was Justin’s (who also directed the film).
- The Unfollowing: Internet sleuths noticed early on that Blake and the rest of the cast weren't following Justin on Instagram.
This tension reportedly stems from the editing room. Ryan Reynolds, Blake’s husband, even wrote a key scene in the movie—the rooftop scene. While that sounds like a cute "couple goals" moment, it allegedly caused friction with Baldoni, who was the actual director. Imagine directing a film and then having the lead actress bring in her superstar husband to rewrite your script. It's a lot.
The production was hit by the 2023 WGA strike, which paused filming for months. Some suggest this gap allowed tensions to simmer. By the time they got back to set, the creative visions were just... off.
A Deeper Look at the Source Material
Colleen Hoover based this book on her own mother’s experience. It’s personal. When a story is that intimate, any deviation from the core message feels like a betrayal to the fanbase. The "CoHo" community is massive. We're talking billions of views on TikTok. These fans aren't just casual viewers; they are gatekeepers.
The film had to balance being a "Hollywood Movie" with being a faithful adaptation of a book that saved lives. In many ways, the It Ends with Us show succeeded at the box office because of the controversy, not in spite of it. It raked in over $340 million globally. That’s insane for a mid-budget drama.
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The "Lily Bloom" Aesthetic vs. The Reality of Abuse
Lily Bloom's style in the movie was... a choice. Fans were divided the second those first leaked set photos hit the web. Carhartt jackets over patterned dresses? Double-waistband pants? It looked like she got dressed in a dark room.
But Blake Lively defended the choices, saying Lily is a "multidimensional woman" who doesn't fit into a box. It’s a valid point, but the aesthetic became a distraction. People were so busy making fun of the outfits that they stopped talking about Ryle’s behavior. And maybe that was the point. Maybe the spectacle of the "It Ends with Us show" was a shield.
Wait, let's look at Ryle for a second. Justin Baldoni’s portrayal was actually quite nuanced. He didn't play him as a mustache-twirling villain from the jump. He played him as a man who is charming, successful, and deeply broken. That’s what makes domestic violence so insidious. If he were a monster 100% of the time, Lily would have left on day one. The film captures that "frog in a boiling pot" feeling quite well, even if the behind-the-scenes drama overshadowed it.
Lessons Learned from the It Ends with Us Phenomenon
So, what do we actually take away from this? Hollywood is changing. The way we consume movies is now inextricably linked to the "second screen" experience—the rumors, the Reddit threads, the TikTok breakdowns.
The It Ends with Us show proved that a book's "fandom" is more powerful than any studio marketing department. If the fans feel like you’re disrespecting the material, they will let you know. But they will also show up and buy tickets just to see if the rumors are true.
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It’s also a lesson in creative leadership. When you have two "captains" on a ship—a director who is also the lead, and a producer who is also a global superstar—power struggles are almost inevitable.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Content Creators
If you're still processing the film or looking to engage with the community, here is how to navigate the fallout of the movie's release:
Support the Message, Not Just the Drama If the movie’s themes affected you, look into the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-7233). The real "It Ends with Us" story is about breaking cycles, not just celebrity feuds.
Read the Sequel with Context It Starts with Us is the follow-up book. Given the drama between Baldoni and Lively, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see a movie adaptation with the same cast. If you want the rest of Atlas and Lily’s story, the book is your only guaranteed path forward.
Watch the "Wayfarer" Projects If you appreciated Justin Baldoni’s approach to the film’s themes, check out his other work like Clouds or his book Man Enough. It gives a lot of context to why he pushed for a more serious tone during the press tour.
Analyze the Marketing Pivot For those interested in media or PR, study the shift in the film's social media accounts from "fluffy floral" to "serious advocacy" mid-way through its theatrical run. It’s a textbook example of a studio responding to public backlash in real-time.
The It Ends with Us show might be over in theaters, but the conversation about how we tell these stories is just getting started. It’s a messy, complicated, and successful piece of cinema that proves we’re still obsessed with the drama—both on and off the screen.