EXCLUSIVE: Following a massive domestic box office success, Sony and Wayfarer Studios’ It Ends With Us is off to a very strong start overseas. The Blake Lively-starring film has grossed $13.3 million from 42 markets through Friday, with overseas grosses accounting for just 68% of the total. That suggests a weekend opening of $27 million to $30 million overseas and a worldwide total in the range of $72 million to $79 million.
The $25 million female-led romantic drama was an event film in the markets where it opened this weekend, with an opening day gross that was 73% higher than The Fault in Our Stars, more than double that of A Star Is Born and Little Women, more than triple that of Anyone But You, and more than four times that of Sony’s upcoming summer 2022 underdog Where the Crawdads Sing. All of these comparisons are in comparable markets at current exchange rates.
The top markets through Friday were the UK ($2.4 million), Australia ($2.4 million), Brazil ($1.5 million), Mexico ($1 million) and Sweden ($725,000). The Middle East overall gross through Friday was $720,000.
We’ve heard that fans of Colleen Hoover’s original novel are in attendance, as well as new fans of the IP. Remember that in 2014, The Fault in Our Stars became a phenomenon, especially in Brazil, and was the perfect counter-show to the World Cup in the host country. It Ends with Us is similarly positioned as an option for female moviegoers. There’s also the unique combination of Livly fresh off a cameo in husband Ryan Reynolds’ box office smash hit Deadpool & Wolverine.
The latter film is on track to join the billion-dollar club and will likely win the global weekend again. The couple’s numerous red carpet photoshoots have undoubtedly raised awareness of It Ends with Us, but the film has clearly held its own, garnering popularity even in markets where the original is less well-known. So far, that’s down to lucky coincidences and clever scheduling.
Markets where the film is still to be released in August include France, Germany, Italy and China. It will be released in Denmark, where Lively premiered last night, in early September. It will also be released in South Korea, Japan and most of Southeast Asia.
