Colleen Hoover’s controversial best-selling book, It Ends With Us, is still getting that much-awaited movie adaptation, and sooner than fans might expect. The 2016 book has become one of the biggest books on BookTok but has received criticism for (intentionally or not) glorifying domestic abuse by being marketed as a romance novel. Despite the book’s — and Hoover’s own history of controversy — It Ends With Us continues to sell millions of copies and has spent 107 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list as of this writing.
When a movie adaptation was announced earlier this year, fans were elated to finally see the book’s protagonists on the big screen. Blake Lively will play the lead role of Lily Bloom, a woman who quits her traditional marketing job to open her own flower shop (with a name like that, it’s got to be fate), and Justin Baldoni (who is also set to direct) will play Ryle Kincaid – a neurologist with commitment issues. After several months of speculation, the film finally has a confirmed release date.
When does It Ends With Us hit theaters?
The film adaptation of It Ends With Us hits theaters on Feb 9, 2024 – according to a report from Deadline. For those keeping up with the film’s production, this relatively soon release date might come as a surprise. Due to the WGA Writers’ Strike, production on the film came to a halt in early June and was last said to have resumed June 8. With no end to the writers’ strike in sight (and an additional SAG strike looking increasingly likely as a July 12 deadline approaches), the February release date seems ambitious for a film that reportedly is only halfway through with shooting. Ignoring that, a release date near Valentine’s Day makes a lot of sense for a film marketed as a romance.
Those moviegoers who haven’t read the book may be in a shock if they’re expecting a feel-good romantic comedy — but we can’t say they haven’t had plenty of time to catch up.
What was the release date of the It Ends With Us book?
Although the book wouldn’t reach peak popularity until 2022, It Ends With Us was first published Aug. 2, 2016. While the book was well-received upon its initial publication, it would reach unprecedented levels of success when it was discovered by TikTok’s book community BookTok in 2021. In January of 2022, It Ends With Us re-debuted at the number one spot of the New York Times Best Sellers list and has continued to stay on the list ever since.
Not everyone is enamored with the book; It Ends With Us has been criticized for unintentionally romanticizing domestic abuse. Promotional materials — like a quickly scrapped coloring book based on the events of the novel — have also been criticized for making light of victims of abuse.
