It Ends With Us hits OTT: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's romantic drama available to rent in India; details inside

It Ends With Us is a complex world that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni must navigate while experiencing both tensions and victories.

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively in a still from It Ends With Us

After its August 2024 theatrical release It Ends With Us has made its way to OTT in India, but only on rent. The romantic drama, based on Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel, is available for rent on Prime Video and ZEE5 (OTTplay Premium) for Rs. 249. Christy Hall wrote the screenplay for the Justin Baldoni-directed film, which stars Blake Lively, Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, and Hasan Minhaj.

It Ends With Us plot overview

It Ends with Us is Lily Bloom's (Lively) inspiring narrative. Opening her own flower store in Boston, Lily begins a new chapter in her life while grappling with a sad history. After Lily falls for Ryle (Baldoni), she starts to notice similarities between him and her violent father. Lily, backed by her friends and supporters, needs to discover her inner strength to interrupt the cycle before it ends her.

ALSO READ: It Ends With Us Review: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni deconstruct the ‘Perfect Couple’ fantasy with precision

Despite critics' conflicting reactions, It Ends with Us was a financial success, earning $334.8 million globally on a $25 million budget.

Justin Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios developed a cinematic adaptation of the book that he optioned in July 2019. Blake Lively accepted the role of Lily Bloom, and Baldoni, who plays Ryle Kincaid, collaborated with screenwriter Christy Hall to direct the film. Brandon Sklenar secured the role of Atlas.

Tensions between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni

According to sources close to the production, tensions arose between Lively and Baldoni in the aftermath of the film's weeklong reshoots, as well as Lively's decision to have editor Shane Reid create a second cut of the film. Reid has experience working with Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and with Lively in the music video for Taylor Swift's I Bet You Think About Me. Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan were credited with the cut used in theatres, which was supposedly the version Lively preferred. Furthermore, the magazine verified that Reynolds penned a large chunk of the dialogue for a balcony scene, purportedly in April 2023, prior to the WGA strike, without informing Baldoni of this. 

The book's enormous popularity on the "BookTok" subcommunity on sites like TikTok led to speculation about the purported split, as users pointed out Baldoni's lack of attendance at joint press conferences in videos. Baldoni brought on a public relations crisis manager, who would not articulate any legitimate transgressions from either party, according to Variety's sources. However, the bad blood between the two is very real and the relationship may not be salvageable.

Criticism and backlash during marketing

Critics on social media accused Lively of being "tone-deaf" on her film marketing tour for not directly addressing her character's domestic violence and abuse experiences with a "light-hearted humorous" approach. Fans criticized the actor for marketing her new haircare line and drinks company during the press tour and suggesting that moviegoers wear floral attire, which some felt was disrespectful given the film's subject matter of domestic abuse.

After the backlash, Lively took to Instagram stories to rally behind victims of domestic violence and provide a link to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Bridgette Stumpf of The Hollywood Reporter asserts that It Ends With Us ultimately fails the survivors it aims to support, as the film's marketing minimises the domestic violence content and doesn't provide any content warnings prior to its release.

In August 2024, after the film's release, Baldoni hinted at the possibility of adapting the sequel novel It Starts with Us for the big screen. But he eventually said he wouldn't be returning in that capacity and instead suggested Lively helm the film. Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios acquired the rights to It Starts with Us and It Ends with Us in 2019, giving them franchise ownership.

ALSO READ: It Ends With Us: Blake Lively Anchors A Deceptively Powerful Drama

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