For Jennifer Lopez, this fall was meant to mark her redemption arc. After years of coming close to Oscar recognition, her role in Kiss of the Spider Woman was expected to finally place her in serious awards contention.
At 56, Lopez led her first-ever movie musical, taking on a role seemingly crafted to generate major awards buzz.
Despite the promising setup, Kiss of the Spider Woman’s opening weekend numbers tell a different story. With early projections hovering around just $2 million, Jennifer Lopez’s long-awaited Oscar bid already appears to be losing steam.
When People reported in September that Lopez would be campaigned in the Best Supporting Actress category, fans immediately recalled the sting of her 2019 Hustlers snub — a role that earned her Golden Globe, SAG, and Independent Spirit Award nominations, but no Oscar nod.
In her Netflix documentary Halftime, Lopez admitted she had allowed herself to hope for more. “The truth is, I really started to think I was gonna get nominated,” she said. “I got my hopes up because so many people were telling me I would be. And then it didn’t happen.”
Determined to change that narrative, Lopez described Kiss of the Spider Woman as a dream project years in the making. At its Sundance premiere, she told the crowd through tears, “I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life.” She recalled watching West Side Story with her mother as a child and realizing she wanted to perform: “That was always my goal. And this is the first time I actually got to do it.”
The film, directed by Bill Condon (Chicago, Dreamgirls, Beauty and the Beast), stars Lopez alongside Diego Luna and rising actor Tonatiuh in a story blending fantasy, escapism, and resilience. With a $30 million budget and award-winning pedigree behind it, the pieces seemed perfectly aligned.
But Variety reported that the film’s release has been an uphill climb. Opening opposite Tron: Ares and Paramount’s Roofman, Kiss of the Spider Woman is tracking between $1.5 and $3 million across 1,300 theaters — a far cry from the $17 million global haul of the 1985 original. That soft debut could spell trouble for its awards-season momentum.
Beyond box office numbers, perception is another obstacle. Showbiz411’s Roger Friedman noted that despite Lopez’s extensive promotion, the film has struggled for visibility and lacked strong critical outreach. Some members of the Critics Choice Association even said they were never invited to screenings. Currently, the movie holds a 60 on Metacritic and an 80 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes — a sign of mixed enthusiasm among critics.
Lopez once again finds herself in familiar territory — between critical respect and the brutal realities of box office and awards politics. While co-stars Luna and Tonatiuh have been praised (the latter for a breakout role), and Condon’s direction has earned acclaim, awards success depends as much on momentum and studio support as it does on talent.
Friedman was unsparing in his verdict, pointing out that distributor Roadside Attractions — dubbed “Roadkill” in his piece — has a weak track record with Oscar contenders. Without a powerful awards strategist pushing her campaign, Lopez may once again watch the gold slip through her fingers.
