Deadpool & Wolverine’s box office throne could be overtaken by controversial romance film

Blake Lively’s controversial romance film, It Ends With Us, could dethrone Deadpool and Wolverine’s top spot at the box office.

Deadpool & Wolverine is currently doing well in theaters, as Marvel fans flock to see its iconic cameos and how the project will tie into upcoming MCU films.

However, while the almost billion-dollar movie takes its well-earned victory lap, a controversial romance is gearing up to take its number one box office crown.

Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us premieres on August 9 and its presale numbers have some believing it will overthrow Deadpool & Wolverine’s hold on the movie market.

According to Deadline, the presale tickets for Hoover’s movie adaptation earned four times more than those of its production studio, Sony Pictures’, 2022 summer picture Where the Crawdads Sing.

The studio’s sleepy romance movie earned $17.2 million during its opening weekend and Sony is hoping to double that number with It Ends With Us.

Though Lively’s romance film probably won’t be the money juggernaut Ryan Reynolds’ comic book outing is, many are convinced it will overtake the Marvel entry in terms of popularity.

It Ends With Us is based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel of the same name. The book follows flower shop owner Lily Bloom as she tries to decide whether to pursue a relationship with the hot-tempered doctor Ryle Kincaid, or rekindle the flame with her first love, Atlas Corrigan.

While the movie’s premise seems pretty light-hearted, It Ends With Us has faced a ton of backlash since it exploded in popularity on the book side of TikTok.

Some Hoover detractors believe the novel glorifies abusive relationships, as the character Ryle has some toxic traits that seem more real than fiction.

However, despite not being well received by everyone, It Ends With Us went on to sell one million copies worldwide and spawned the follow-up novel It Starts With Us.

Hoover herself has more than 2 billion videos on her name hashtag on TikTok, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Reynolds bested by his own wife in the movie marketplace.

For more, check out every Deadpool & Wolverine Easter egg, our guide to all Deadpool and Wolverine variants, and our ranking of every MCU movie.