It Ends With Us Sequel: Will It Happen?  

Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us novel has been a bestseller since its launch in 2016. The tale that touched hearts and moved many is now also enjoying success at the cinema with a movie adaptation.

After three weeks of this film in theatres worldwide; it has become an impressive $242 million box office earnings (might even hit $300 million). It Ends With Us stood out among female populations more than any other film.

But now we ask, ‘Will there ever be a sequel?’ The book has a sequel called It Starts with Us which suggests an easy way forward for most readers. However, behind-the-scenes things are not so clear cut.

The Blockbuster Success

Not only have there been many successful adaptations of novels into films but we must also recognize the box office achievement of It Ends With Us before diving into its controversies. It has already become one of the biggest hits this year having been produced at a budget of $25 million. This is because the box office earnings translate to huge profits; some sources estimate that it can make as much as $60 million in profit which is astonishing for any movie in today’s era.

Accolades have come for both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni who played Lily and Ryle in that order while their on-screen chemistry was touching to most viewers. This is the highest-grossing film for them both in their careers thus far. Yet off-screen drama would seem to taint what should have been a sequel among others who experienced such kind of fame.

Behind-the-Scenes Tensions

There were speculations on the rift between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni after the release of It Ends With Us and things seem to have worsened even further. The first trouble sign was when Baldoni failed to appear in promotional events and was missing from the film’s New York premiere with its cast. There were questions as to whether Lively’s final cut was released against Baldoni’s wish.

Moreover, Lively said something interesting that drew more attention during an interview; her husband Ryan Reynolds wrote one important scene for the movie which Baldoni had no knowledge about. This raised eyebrows more so because filming for this particular movie began just a few days after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike started in May 2023. Although Reynolds’ involvement happened before the strike commenced, it only aggravated matters between Lively and Baldoni.

It’s been told by many that the tension between the two stars is real. An insider even stated, “Probably they will never work together again.” This is not exactly a great indicator for a continuation, especially when you consider that Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios possesses movie rights over both It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us.

The Sequel Dilemma

Despite the drama, it seems like an easy decision to make a sequel since there exists It Begins With Us as a follow-up novel. The book is set a few months after Shut It Down and revolves more around the lives of Lily, Ryle and Atlas, providing abundant resources for making another film. However, things get complicated due to the feuding Lively and Baldoni. Even though he has hinted that he may not direct the sequel, Baldoni is still listed as one of its producers; hence he will have to find a way of collaborating with Lively.

Typically in Hollywood rapid fire moves are made to take advantage of a blockbuster hit, since there’s intense pressure from movie industries on making sequels if It Ends With Us breaks box office records. Nevertheless, this constant friction between leading actors may postpone or even shelve these ambitions altogether. In order to retain viewer’s interest expertise in entertainment betters say that ideally not more than two to three years should elapse between subsequent parts; hence time is running out.

The Final Word?

Right now, the future of the It Ends With Us franchise is ambiguous. The movie’s success indicates that audiences are interested in a sequel but the off-screen drama complicates things. Baldoni has hinted at stepping down for Lively to direct but we cannot tell if this is about to happen.

On the other hand, fans can only pray that it ends with us eventually translates to clarity such as: with his death-life somewhere else in the universe. All in all, we don’t know if we will ever have that particular movie experience on large screens.

While waiting for any formal announcement, one fact stands out: It Ends With Us is over as far as cinema is concerned, but there will be more theater acts coming out soon.