In lieu of recent events surrounding the new film It Ends With Us directed by Justin Baldoni and adapted from the novel by Colleen Hoover, I feel more inclined to speak to modern film marketing than reviewing the film as a whole. This film’s release has caused quite a stir amongst audiences, film lovers, and chronically online folks, with the lack of attention and awareness surrounding domestic violence- which is a central theme of the story. The lack of advocacy from certain cast members about domestic violence and its severity is sparking a lot of rumors and speculation about creative differences between Blake Lively, who doubles as leading lady and producer, and director/ star Justin Baldoni. However, my focus lies within the film’s divisive marketing attempts and how that relates to Hollywood’s recent lack of awareness towards audiences wants and needs. Today we are talking about why the “butts in seats” mentality is a horrible marketing ploy in the wake of the woke.
I have said it before, and I will continue to reiterate this until I’m blue in the face: audiences are not dumb! With the accessibility and burning desire for accountability online, audiences want integrity more than anything; not only integrity, audiences want to feel connected to what they are about to go see. As a film lover, I’m gonna go see a movie if the trailer intrigues me, if it’s something highly anticipated, if Timothee Chalamet is in it, if Zendaya is in it, the list goes on; it’s quite rare that I head to the theater due to solely excellent marketing, especially when a movie ticket is $14 or more. That being said, my butt will be in a seat if there’s a personal draw for me, otherwise I’ll save my pennies and wait for its digital release. Here is a list of movies I went to see in theaters this summer and why to give you some clarity:
Challengers: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor, and Luca Guadanigno
Bikeriders: Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and motorcycles
Longlegs: I love horror
MAXXXINE: fan of the franchise
Inside Out 2: nostalgia
Civil War: Kirsten Dunst
It Ends With Us: highly anticipated
Hit Man (streaming on Netflix): Glen Powell
People are going to go see a movie for whatever reason, marketing is a tool used to get more people who weren’t as likely to go to the theater in those seats. I really wanted to see the 2024 vampire film Abigail but I didn’t feel that inclined to go to the theater so I waited until it came out on Peacock, but I guarantee there were people who felt they had to experience it in a cinema. That’s the beauty of film, it’s subjective. With a film like It Ends with Us, there is the aspect of subjectivity that is the story of the actors, but there is no subjectivity when it comes to the severity of domestic violence. With a film adapted from a book there is already a preconceived audience; individuals who have read the book and have been waiting to see the adaptation; fans of the individual actors; fans of Colleen Hoover; fans of romance; fans of Taylor Swift; and finally fans of cinema as a whole. People will go to the movies because they feel connected to the story, whether that connection comes from a parasocial relationship or pure curiosity butts will be in seats. In order to get more butts in seats from outsiders or the general public who may only go to the cinema once a year, you have to have integrity in both your story and your marketing. The reason so many people are up in arms about the marketing surrounding this film is not because it is just bad, it’s because it is misleading and therefore lacks integrity. People, especially today, hate being misled. It Ends with Us, though Blake Lively and Colleen Hoover are marketing it as such, is not just a romance full of flowers and friendship; it is a story about domestic violence and the generational effects of domestic violence. I’m not a marketing expert, but I think Justin Baldoni’s approach to talking about the contents of this movie is far more authentic and accurate to what’s depicted in the film. I went to the theater anticipating the violence and I was still very uncomfortable and honestly disturbed by the lack of disclaimers regarding the sexual violence. Imagine going to the theater to see It Ends With Us after only watching Blake Lively’s interviews, I think you’d be a tad confused. There is a way to approach uncomfortable conversations and plots in cinema and that is through honesty; you don’t have to spoil the film or be crass, but you should approach the situation with grace and respect for those who are survivors of assault and domestic abuse. The hit Netflix show 13 Reasons Why depicted themes about suicide, bullying, harrassment, sexual assault, and much more with a multitude of resources for suicide prevention and anti-bullying and disclaimers. At the very least, It Ends With Us should have had the number for the domestic violence hotline prior to the credits and a warning prior to the opening scene (Visit https://www.thehotline.org/ for more info).
Accountability is huge with social media, especially Tik Tok, people want to see growth and change from those who have behaved poorly in the past and the same goes for filmmakers. If you take the time and spend the money to produce a film you should defend it, so to make a film based on a book about domestic violence and not stand up for survivors of abuse or even the approach to making the film feels insufficient; the separation from the director and cast says more than enough about that situation in my opinion. We live in a time where people want authenticity, audiences admire honesty and passion for the projects they’re paying to go see. Unfortunately you cannot please everyone, and though typically I am more of a “let the art speak for itself” kind of person this just feels disrespectful. Marketing films in the digital age is not as hard as these executives make it out to be, it appears they lack the ability to listen to the average folks who line their pockets at the end of the day. I’m sure you’ve heard time and time again why Hollywood isn’t making new comedies, rom coms, or R rated stuff anymore (if not here's a clip of Vince Vaugh Hot Ones explaining it). Hollywood’s main focus is green and that’s fine, they’re very open about it, so when a film is marketed poorly or it lacks authenticity or even a clue as to who its true audience is, the entire film feels disingenuous. The butts in seats mentality only works if there’s a draw to get butts in seats; a well-known actor, a hot cast, a good plot, a fantastic trailer, a cult following, nostalgia; a love triangle at a tennis tournament. What’s the draw to fabrication of authenticity? Social media moves a hell of a lot faster than reality, if you want your film to be successful stop trying to make it something it’s not. Authenticity always comes out on top in the end, look at how many filmmakers have been exposed as of late for their poor treatment of actors or behavior on set. Woke is not a negative term, though many Gen Xers like to present it as such, it’s not that hard to adapt to the wants and needs of audiences (especially when they’re the one’s emptying their wallets in the name of cinema), so cut the crap. Tell genuine stories that create genuine communities, a box office hit may look good on paper but history will remember the poor approach you had to a film about domestic violence over the dollar signs, I promise.Butts in seats marketing works when there’s a real draw to bring people to the theater, wearing florals and having a girls night is not a genuine draw, especially when the film is not a rom com. If you’re gonna make a woke film, you’re gonna have to market it as such and that goes for all cinema- not just book adaptations.
For more resources for domestic violence:
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