August’s box office started with a major success as Sony’s drama “It Ends With Us” pulled in a substantial $24 million from 3,611 theaters on its opening day, including Thursday previews.
The film, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestseller, is now projected to exceed $45 million over the weekend, a remarkable start for a drama made with a modest $25 million budget, less than what’s typically spent on summer blockbusters.
The film’s success was fueled by the widespread popularity of Hoover’s novel on TikTok and a marketing campaign that effectively targeted female audiences, leading to higher-than-expected earnings.
“It Ends With Us” is likely to secure a strong second-place finish this weekend, just behind Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Even without the $7 million from early previews, its $17 million Friday gross surpassed that of “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Directed by Justin Baldoni and featuring Blake Lively in the lead role, the movie tells the story of a florist who falls in love with a neurosurgeon, also played by Baldoni, only to face complications when an old friend reenters her life. Audience reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, with CinemaScore awarding the film an A- rating.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s “Borderlands,” an adaptation of the popular video game, stumbled with a disappointing $4 million from 3,125 theaters. Despite a hefty $115 million production budget, the film might struggle to reach $10 million in its opening weekend. Even though Lionsgate recouped 60% of its costs through international presales, “Borderlands” appears to be heading toward a box office flop.
Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” maintained its strong momentum, earning $15.6 million on Friday and closing in on $500 million domestically. Universal’s “Twisters” and “Despicable Me 4” also performed well, rounding out the top five films of the weekend.