A box-office success despite critical panning, this romantic drama explores a volatile relationship
In short: Directed by Roger Kumble and based on Anna Todd's 2014 novel, After We Collided follows the tumultuous romance of Tessa Young and Hardin Scott. While critics slammed the film for glamorizing toxic dynamics, the sequel to 2019's After proved a financial triumph, grossing $48 million against a modest $14 million budget.
The film picks up as Tessa and Hardin navigate the fallout of their breakup. Tessa begins an internship at Vance Publishing, where she meets coworker Trevor Matthews, while Hardin struggles with his own past trauma. The narrative is driven by a series of misunderstandings, professional ambitions, and the revelation that the homeless man Hardin previously dismissed is actually Tessa’s estranged father.
Critical reception for the production was notably harsh. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 12% approval rating, while Metacritic reports a score of 14 out of 100, signaling overwhelming dislike from reviewers. Critics frequently pointed to the screenplay and the film's portrayal of a toxic relationship as primary flaws. Despite these negative assessments, the film found a significant audience, performing well internationally and dominating digital rental charts upon its domestic release.
The film's commercial performance allowed the franchise to expand rapidly. Following the success of this second installment, production for subsequent sequels, After We Fell and After Ever Happy, was greenlit for back-to-back filming. The series continued to grow, with a fifth and final film, After Everything, concluding the main story arc. Interestingly, the final entry is the only film in the series not based on a book by Anna Todd, who also served as a screenwriter and made a cameo appearance in the second film.
The production process for After We Collided began in August 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. The film saw a staggered global release starting in September 2020, with a simultaneous theatrical and video-on-demand launch in the United States on October 23, 2020. Its financial trajectory was marked by strong sophomore numbers in various international markets, leading to increased theater distribution in countries like the United Kingdom, where the film’s gross jumped 18% in its second weekend.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: After We Collided
- Also: Wikidata — After We Collided · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — After We Collided · CC0
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