Blake Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds dominated the box office as rumors of possible cast drama swirled around the actress’ film.
“It Ends With Us” starring Lively joined Reynolds’ “Deadpool & Wolverine” as a box office contender on Aug. 9. The highly anticipated movie is adapted from the popular Colleen Hoover book of the same name.
Reynolds’ Marvel Studios smash “Deadpool & Wolverine” remained the top movie in North American theaters for the third straight week with $54.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Worldwide, it’s now surpassed $1 billion. “Deadpool & Wolverine” was closely followed by “It Ends With Us,” the romance drama starring Lively, which surpassed expectations with a stellar $50 million debut.
‘IT ENDS WITH US’ STAR BLAKE LIVELY TURNS UP THE HEAT WHILE PROMOTING MOVIE: PHOTOS
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively film a scene for “It Ends With Us.” (Getty Images)
This is the first time in 34 years that a husband and wife duo have topped the box office. The last time audiences enjoyed a moment like this was in 1990 when Bruce Willis’ “Die Hard 2” and Demi Moore’s “Ghost” took the top two spots.
While “It Ends With Us” hit the box office with impressive numbers, the promotional tour was met with speculation of drama between Lively, Reynolds and Justin Baldoni – who directed and starred in the film.
Fans took to TikTok and other social media platforms to share theories behind peculiar aspects of the press tour. Representatives for neither Lively nor Baldoni responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Blake Lively walked the red carpet at a press event for “It Ends With Us.” (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)
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Baldoni largely did his portion of the press tour solo despite being the lead alongside Lively. While many found this odd, the “Jane the Virgin” star spent time praising Lively.
“You can’t summarize Blake’s contribution in a sentence because her energy and imprint is all over the movie and really, really made the film better, and from beginning to end,” he told “Today.”
He also pointed to Lively when asked who should direct the possible sequel instead of himself.
“I think that there are better people for that one,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct, that’s what I think.”
However, Lively didn’t seem to mention Baldoni in any interviews.
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Additionally, Baldoni and Lively did not pose together for any photos at the premiere of the film. Typically, the entire cast will take photos together and the stars portraying romantic partners will also pose for some shots.
Baldoni mostly posed solo along with some additional shots featuring family and friends. Lively was pictured with Reynolds along with several cast members, including Brandon Sklenar, Isabela Ferrer and Jenny Slate.
Blake Lively poses with Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer during “It Ends With Us” premiere activities. (Getty Images)
The speculation didn’t stop there.
Fans also noticed that Baldoni followed Lively and Slate on Instagram, but the two female cast members were not following the director.
An interview Slate did with Deadline also had fans wondering if she was shading Baldoni’s multiple roles in making the movie.
“I mean, what an intense job to do so many things,” she told the outlet when asked about Baldoni acting and directing “It Ends With Us.” “I just found it to be something, like, ‘Wow, I really just want to have one job at once.’”
“I was looking around like, ‘Yeah, I’m good with just acting,’” Slate added. “I really – I love it. I just want to do it.”
Justin Baldoni attends the “It Ends With Us” premiere with his wife. (Getty Images)
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Blake Lively revealed her husband, Ryan Reynolds, worked on “It Ends With Us.” (Getty Images)
Fans were also surprised to learn that Reynolds actually worked on the film and apparently rewrote at least one scene.
“The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it,” Lively revealed to E! News at the Aug. 6 premiere. “Nobody knows that but you now.”
Reynolds might actually have had a bigger hand in the creation of “It Ends With Us” along with other projects Lively has worked on.
“We help each other. He works on everything I do; I work on everything he does,” she added. “So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
