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Writer's pictureRomaisa Rehab Khan

How to not market a Domestic Violence Movie: It Ends with Us

It Ends with Us”, a film released this august, a book adaptation of the popular book released in 2016, follows Lily Bloom (played by Blake Lively) who confronts the irrevocable scars inflicted by domestic abuse and breaks the generational cycle. It was easy for those who were unfamiliar with the book to confuse this with a romantic comedy rather than a film about domestic violence. This widespread confusion is attributed to the imperfect marketing that accompanied this film. The tone deaf press tour centered around florals, pink, glittery dresses and Blake Lively’s hair care line rather than domestic violence. 


There has been widespread discontent with the approach the book’s author, Colleen hoover and the producer as well as lead actress, Blake Lively have taken when promoting this film. Many viewers prior to watching the film confirmed their confusion regarding what the film was about, many going into theaters thinking the film was a romcom. This is because the film was marketed like one of those romcom blockbusters, but this is not just any other film rather one that needs to be approached with complete and utter sensitivity. Glamourised social media posts portrayed this film as “girls night out film” with Blake Lively saying "Grab your friends. Wear your florals."  These types of media strategies are common for light hearted comedy films like Barbie that the “It Ends with Us” marketing has adopted. It is obviously true that in terms of profit, a romcom is highly likely to do better than a cynical domestic violence film, yet it is still disappointing that media cannot exist without thinking about its translation into profit. 


A lot of social media's focus has been on the claimed difference between the director as well as lead actor of the film, Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. While Justin completely separates himself from his cast and actually addresses the dominant theme of the book with sensitivity. On the other hand, Blake Lively has faced severe criticism for shying away from the topic of Domestic violence rather marketing the film as a fun get together and using the film to promote her haircare line as well as her husband's movie. 


The film as well as its promotion has had a lack of trigger warnings. One viewer noted that due to the “friendship aspect” stressed by the official tiktok of the film made him watch the movie and was surprised that the film did not provide any trigger warning for those with PTSD or who were sensitive to the topic.


It should also be noted that not only was the film marketing as a romance but so was the book. The book is often promoted as a love triangle between the main character, her abuser and her childhood lover and lily’s storyline with domestic violence is often sidelined. This is a broader issue with publishing and media sometimes misrepresenting or trivializing sensitive topics like abuse for marketability seen with Vladimir Nabokov’s book “Lolita”. Nabokov’s Lolita, a story about abuse, has often been marketed with provocative imagery, like covers featuring lips which can misconstrue the novel’s message and perpetuate a sexualized interpretation against the author's wishes.

This mismanaged poorly executed marketing has caused hundreds of people on social media to romanticize Lily and Ryle's relationship. Some have even dubbed the abusive plotline a "dark romance” which takes away from the entire message of the movie. 

This film and the controversy raises the question: How do you market a film about domestic violence? It is definitely a challenge. But it should not be through wearing floral dressing and encouraging fans to do the same and using it as a way to promote your products.  



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7 Comments


25020047
7 days ago

I completely agree with your take on the supremely mismatched marketing strategies that were used for this movie. Domestic violence is a deeply painful and sensitive issue that should be approached with the utmost respect and awareness of potential triggers. By adopting a lighthearted tone, the marketing failed to convey the gravity of the film’s themes and risks trivializing the trauma central to the narrative. You have also accurately called out the inherent tension between media’s focus on profitability and the ethical portrayal of sensitive topics. It points to a bigger issue of profit-driven strategies overshadowing the kind of awareness such movies could potentially raise. Moreover, your comparison of It Ends With Us with Lolita is insightful, pointing to bigge…

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Mhawiah Younus
Mhawiah Younus
7 days ago

Your post brings forward crucial insights on the role marketing plays in shaping audience expectations, especially for films tackling heavy subjects like domestic violence. By dissecting It Ends with Us, you highlight how a campaign reliant on lighthearted, rom-com aesthetics dangerously downplays the film’s message and can lead viewers to misinterpret its serious themes. The floral imagery, social media promotions about “girls’ nights out,” and focus on Blake Lively’s personal brand might make sense for a romance film, but here, they create a jarring disconnect that risks trivializing the experience of abuse survivors.


The comparison to Lolita is especially powerful, as it illustrates a longstanding issue in media and publishing: complex, dark narratives often get “softened” for market appeal, sometimes distorting…


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26020539
Nov 01

I completely agree with the point of your blog. Seeing all this unfold in real time was something else. As you have pointed out in your blog, the marketing of this film is rather tone-deaf, considering it's a film about domestic violence and those who don't know that believe that it's a romcom because of the way this movie is being marketed. This way of marketing the movie is a disservice to all those people who are victims of domestic abuse. As someone who knows what this movie is about, seeing that it was being marketed as a rom-com was honestly just confusing. I know this is a game about maximizing profits and making people come and watch it in…

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Your blog brings up some really important questions on how to promote a movie which is based on a darker premise such as domestic violence. I wasn't very familiar with the movie even releasing or the cast as such but still saw promotional interviews on social media and couldn't have guessed that the movie was actually about domestic violence rather than just another summer film. The way in which Blake Lively and Colleen Hoover promoted this film strongly reeks of them wanting it to be a blockbuster hit movie instead of a modest success that films like these usually are. Its an understandable sentiment to want your film to make the most amount of money it can but not at…


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onesamirr
Oct 31

I think your particular focus on the "marketing strategy" of the film is extremely vital to identify. Initially, before I watched the film, I was confused about the plot or the very potrayal of domestic violence in the movie. Through my friends and peers I had also heard about the general allegations on the author- Collen Hoover and the critique that her writings tend to romanticise violence. Based on this prior knowledge of mine, I assumed that the very narrative of "It ends with us" is one that sensationalises violence.


Contrarily, after I watched the film, in my personal opinion, the storyline itself was not as problematic as the marketing. At the end, the female lead - Lily Bloom chooses…


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