SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas — A new movie inspired by an East Texas native's romance novel celebrated its opening box office weekend, earning $80 million worldwide.
Colleen Hoover, who was born in Sulphur Springs and grew up in the community of Saltillo in Hopkins County, authored "It Ends With Us" in 2016. The book's story is based on the relationship between her mother and father and depicts Lily Bloom's relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid and the physical abusive she endures.
The novel was adapted into a film of the same title and released on Friday, Aug. 9 in America. According to released numbers, "It Ends With Us" raked in $50 million in U.S. and Canada from Friday to Sunday. The film has also earned $30 million in other countries and territories for a worldwide total of $80 million.
The movie stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in the lead roles of Lily and Ryle, respectively. Baldoni also directed the film adaption. This past weekend, "It Ends With Us" came in second place in the box office rankings behind "Deadpool and Wolverine" and ahead of "Twisters."
Hoover is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of 24 novels and novellas. "It Ends With Us" won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance in 2016. Another one of her novels, "CONFESS," was filmed as a series by Awestruck and is available on Prime Video via Amazon and iTunes, according to her website.
In 2023, she was named among TIME's "The Most Influential People in 2023."
She founded The Bookworm Box, a charity bookstore and book signing event, with her family in 2015. The bookstore has donated over $1 million to help those in need.