Last year, none other than Deadpool’s own wife knocked ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ out of the top spot at the box office. That is to say, at a time when “Deadpool & Wolverine” was seemingly unbeatable at the box office, star Ryan Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, reached the top spot with her adaptation of Colleen’s novel Hoover’s 2016 “It Ends with Us.” The film may be mired in controversy following accusations of sexual harassment on set, but behind-the-scenes drama “It Ends with Us” can’t take anything away from the success of the film.
The romantic drama stars Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman confronting the reality of her abusive relationship, with the “Gossip Girl” alum delivering a strong performance in an otherwise unsuccessful film to impress the critics. But that surely doesn’t matter to Lively, since her $25 million film not only managed to dethrone her husband’s superhero blockbuster, but also grossed $350 million global.
Now, while we wait for more news on whether “It Ends with Us” will get a sequel and actually end with this movie, Lively is at least enjoying a little Netflix renaissance. Nine years before “It Ends With Us” was released, Blake Lively starred in a film that currently carries the exact same Rotten Tomatoes score as her recent box office triumph (the critical score is, unfortunately, significantly less triumphant at 55 %). Today, this 2015 romantic fantasy hits the streamer charts.
Blake Lively’s romantic fantasy charms the Netflix charts
“It Ends with Us” sees Blake Lively play a woman who, after experiencing a traumatic childhood, moves to Boston to start a new business before meeting neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (played by director Justin Baldoni). However, their relationship slowly turns from romantic to traumatic, as Kincaid begins to show tendencies reminiscent of the tribulations of Bloom’s parents. She is then forced to confront her own history with toxic relationships.
Despite good intentions and committed performances, ‘It Ends With Us’ Couldn’t Escape Colleen Hoover’s Book Curseand only passed 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Interestingly enough, another Lively movie with the exact same Rotten Tomatoes The score is now making its way onto the Netflix charts just as the fallout from “It Ends with Us” is playing out in a very public way.
According to FlixPatrola site that tracks and aggregates streaming audience figures, the actor’s 2015 film, “The Age of Adaline,” is currently at number seven on Netflix’s most-watched film rankings in the United States. The romantic fantasy debuted on the charts on January 12 at #10 and has since climbed three spots, suggesting we could see a significant Netflix resurgence for what remains one of Lively’s best performances .
The Age of Adeline is an interesting watch for fans of It Ends with Us
In 2010, Blake Lively starred in what remains her highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoesplaying Krista Coughlin, the ex of Ben Affleck’s Doug MacRay, in “The Town.” The film is not a showcase for Lively, however, as she only appears in a few scenes. Even though “The Age of Adeline” is nowhere near the top of his Rotten Tomatoes rankings, it’s certainly a much better display of the actor’s talents, and will no doubt be an enjoyable watch for fans of “It ends with us.”
Although her breakout role was undoubtedly that of Bridget Vreeland in Ken Kwapis’ 2005 “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” Lively’s performance as Adaline Bowman in “The Age of Adeline” is surely the one of the actor’s defining moments. Although the film wasn’t a huge critical success, it has its fans, and Lively clearly gave her all to play a young woman who stops aging at age 29 after being involved in an accident. As Adaline ages, her youthful appearance never changes and she maintains her distance from others in order to keep her situation a secret. Of course, this being a romantic fantasy, it doesn’t take long before a beautiful love interest emerges, this time in the form of philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman). Things get complicated, however, when Ellis’ father, William (Harrison Ford), recognizes Adaline as a former lover, jeopardizing his new romance.
If that sort of thing sounds appealing, then now’s the time to join Netflixers in pushing this Lively effort up the streamer’s charts — even if it’ll have to overcome the might of a few “Despicable Me” films and the thriller French “Ad Vitam,” which is currently number one, to do so.
