Blake Lively’s highest-grossing film following It Ends With Us is unexpectedly one of her biggest commercial failures, despite its poor reception at the box office. This contrast highlights an unusual moment in her career, where commercial success and critical acclaim have not always aligned. The surprising film in question is Green Lantern, a major production released by Warner Bros.
It Ends With Us, which premiered recently, stands as the most successful film in Lively’s career so far. The movie earned an impressive $351 million worldwide from a modest budget of $25 million. Known for both acclaimed roles and less successful projects, Lively’s filmography reflects varied outcomes at the box office, with Green Lantern marking a distinct high and low simultaneously.
The Story Behind Green Lantern’s Box Office Performance
Green Lantern was a large-scale superhero film in which Blake Lively portrayed Carol Ferris, opposite Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan. Although the movie earned $220 million globally, the heavy production costs estimated at $200 million rendered it a commercial failure. Despite the substantial box office return, the movie’s earnings failed to exceed its budget when marketing and distribution expenses were included.
Lively’s performance and the on-screen chemistry with Reynolds were criticized, which was unexpected given their off-screen relationship and popularity. The film’s failure was notable, particularly since it launched before the current era of successful DCEU films, making it one of Warner Bros.’ most prominent flops at the time.
Green Lantern as Blake Lively’s Only Big-Budget Film
The fact that Green Lantern ranks as Lively’s second-highest-grossing film despite being a flop is largely due to its unprecedented budget size in her career. It remains the only movie she has starred in with a production cost above $100 million. Most of her other projects, including It Ends With Us, generally had budgets between $20 million and $30 million.
Lively has also contributed her voice to prominent animated productions such as Deadpool & Wolverine and IF, yet these did not surpass the financial scale of Green Lantern. The film’s extensive marketing campaign helped secure a stronger initial turnout in theaters, fueled by expectations that it might become a major summer blockbuster, which ultimately did not materialize.
Following Green Lantern, her next highest-grossing film at the box office has been the crime drama The Town, where she played a smaller role alongside Ben Affleck. This film achieved $152.5 million in earnings.
Blake Lively’s Highest Earnings from Films Besides Green Lantern
While It Ends With Us is both Lively’s highest-grossing and highest-paid movie, paying her approximately $3 million, neither Green Lantern nor The Town are her top earners in terms of salary. Instead, The Shallows ranks fourth in her box office success and was one of her better-paying roles.
Another significant film in her career is A Simple Favor, notable not only for its box office performance but also for earning Lively about $800,000 for her role as Emily Nelson. Additionally, her portrayal of Adaline Bowman in The Age of Adaline earned her between $500,000 and $1 million. These films contributed to a steady rise in her earnings prior to the breakthrough represented by It Ends With Us.
Availability and Viewer Reflections on Green Lantern
Fans of Blake Lively and superhero movies can now stream Green Lantern on Max, allowing an opportunity to revisit the film that, despite its flaws, remains a major chapter in Lively’s career. The film’s reception continues to spark discussion regarding Lively’s performance and the mismatched chemistry with Reynolds on screen, contrasting with their real-life relationship.
The unusual dynamic of Green Lantern being Lively’s second-best grossing film highlights the unpredictable nature of Hollywood box office results, especially when measured against both budget scale and critical response.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Is Blake Lively a Nepo baby?
A. She might not show off her Hollywood connections, but they exist. Although she didn’t follow the usual path of a child star, her rise to fame wasn’t entirely by chance.
Q. Why are Taylor Swift and Blake Lively fighting?
A. Blake Lively is accused of putting pressure on Taylor Swift during a legal fight with Justin Baldoni.
This disagreement began during the making of “It Ends With Us.” Baldoni says Lively urged Swift to support her side.
In recent court documents, Baldoni claims that Lively pressured Swift to declare her support publicly.
Q. Is Blake Lively a Nepo child?
A. Yes, Blake Lively is considered a ‘nepo baby.’ This term describes actors whose families already have a presence in the entertainment industry. Her parents, Elaine and Ernie Lively, were both actors.
Q. Why did Taylor Swift unfriend Blake Lively?
A. Blake Lively and Taylor Swift’s friendship is said to be strained because of some emotional issues. Taylor Swift is not involved in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal case anymore, yet there seems to be tension between Taylor and Blake. Their relationship is reportedly so affected that they aren’t talking to each other.
