You're leaving out "for this size budget." This return on investment is very unusual. Here's Sony's top films by box office for 2024, and how much they cost to make, ranked by ROI (box office as a percentage of cost): IEWU -- cost 30m, total box office 350m (1167% ROI) Anyone But You -- cost 25m, total box office 219m (876% ROI) The Forge -- cost 5m, total box office 40m (800% ROI) The Garfield Movie -- cost 60m, total box office 255m (425% ROI) Bad Boys: Ride or Die -- cost 100m, total box office 400m (400% ROI) Venom: The Last Dance -- cost 120m, total box office 474m (395% ROI) Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire -- cost 100m, total box office 200m (200% ROI) Madame Web -- cost 80-100m, total box office 100m (bust) Kraven the Hunter -- cost 110m, total box office 60m (bust) Fly Me to the Moon -- cost 100m, total box office 38m (bust) So only two Sony films grossed more than IEWU in 2024, and both cost several multiples what IEWU cost even after overruns. Of the films that cost less to make, both were profitable but still didn't touch IEWU's total numbers. IEWU was a major success for Sony in 2024 and helped salvage an otherwise pretty lackluster year with massive over-performance. And it did so as a romantic drama. Not a reboot of a successful franchise or a superhero tentpole. No, a success like IEWU is not a dime a dozen for Sony. It's a cash cow that I guarantee every studio in town is looking for ways to replicate in spite of the legal fallout (they are just replicating it without Blake or Justin). Studios are actively looking for more "BookTok" stories to adapt, including those in the romantic drama category, and even to replicate aspects of the marketing campaign which took a page out of Barbie's book by encouraging women to make an event out of attending the film (dressing up, going with friends, etc.). So, yeah, grab your friends and wear your florals. I truly don't care who you support in this dumb drama, but arguing that IEWU was not that successful or important to Sony is not a defensible position. Forgive me for being longwinded but I do market research for a living and this one is easy. |
| What is the genre— movies that should have gone straight to streaming? |
Why would it go straight to streaming when it was a box office hit? |
Completely agree with this. And though Blake may be deemed a pita, she was largely credited with the movie's success. The issue with her will be getting good directors to work with her; they're the ones who will be wary after Justin's experience even if he seems to have come across as pretty amateurish. |
Very rare for a movie in this genre, when so many flop or do go straight to streaming. |
So why isn’t she getting movies? Her IMDB is crickets. 3 movies in there, one she was cast in may 2017 and hasn’t budged off pre production. When you google it there is a more recent article from 2022 that mentions a writer who is attached but no cast members. The others you can find a variety article on….from August 2020. Still sitting in pre production. The third is her production company’s first film. She is the only cast member attached and there is one other person - the writer. No director or other crew. It may or may not get made. Blake was a part of the success, but not the only part. Justin had the foresight to option the film, get financing for it, and hire everyone involved, including Blake. Brandon is being cast in everything… He has a pretty big fan base from the Taylor Sheridan show so he was definitely a draw and you can’t discount Colleen Hoover’s name and the fact that this was the best selling book that had a ton of built-in fans. If studios thought Blake could make another $350 million movie, hell if she could make another hundred million dollar movie, they would be falling all over themselves casting her. It’s not happening. Further, she has killed the rights of a sequel ever being being made. |
Well the housemaid did it. Just passed the $300 million market and still going so there’s definitely a surge in female writers having their books adapted and doing really well. That’s a paul Feig movie. Paul directed Blake and Anna in a simple favor and the sequel, also based in a book by a female writer that was adapted to a screenplay. Those movies did fine, but not nearly as well as the housemaid, and it ends with us. You can’t just say, Blake will guarantee to get people in the seats. It really depends on so many factors. She was one factor. |
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In one of the emails Ryan / Blake wrote to their friends, I think it was Ryan who wrote a line in it about not working for the next 1.5-2 years - that they intended to take time off.
I don't remember the exact wording but it seems like they had already planned a work break by that point. |
Right. After the biggest movie of her lifetime she didn’t want to work? Why would her manager say on the deposition they were expecting offers to roll in? And why would she launch a production company? It seemed like the whole point of doing everything for this movie is that she could launch her directing and producing career. She wanted to direct and produce and star in the sequel- that was the next step. Confirmed in the documents as well, including by Colleen Hoover herself. Ryan seems like a workaholic. He had 3 movies get cancelled by paramount and they opted not to renew their contract with him to develop films which expired end of 2026. It doesn’t sound like he wanted to slow down. It sounds like he is being forced to. |
Honestly, i think it had little to do with Blake and a lot to do with the fact it was a popular book. |
I am just saying that something to that effect was already written by them long before the lawsuit. She had just had a baby and then made a movie, I can see her taking some time off. I think most actors do big features then take a break for awhile. Acting isn't really a day in day out, Monday to Friday, 50 weeks of the year type job. |
It’s already been two years. |
This. In fact the book fans seemed initially pissed off with her casting and thought she was too old, then compounded with the set photos that came out looking absolutely ridiculous in those outfits she put together. I think this movie would have done well with pretty much any halfway attractive and passable actress in that role. |
The filming wrapped in January 2024. It’s been two years. And while I know Blake is painting the picture that she did everything in this movie, I’ll remind you that she was on set for 16 days. It really doesn’t seem that taxing and something she’d need a 2 year break from. |