Jennifer Lopez to Star in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN Film — Page 33

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "I think Condon was mainly referring to people turning off movies on Netflix after they realize that it's a musical as example. He didn't intend to imply that it's the only genre where it occurs."

There's a high possibility that you're right about that. I don't want to make a "sour grapes" accusation (i.e., Condon reaching for an excuse for why his movie isn't performing as expected), but I believe in the possibility of there being some grapes in Condon's refrigerator that might be past their expiration date.

Condon wasn't referring to how his film was performing (wow this is like a game of Telephone!). He was saying why they went the independent path to making this film, so he could make it how he wanted.

He was saying streamers are no longer interested in **making** musicals because of those metrics of folks turning them off. Of course blockbusters like Wicked will do well once they arrive on streaming. (Hamilton is the once-in-a-generation pop cultural musical blockbuster.) But can you name any Proms or Tick Tick Booms in the past couple years? They've stopped making them. And frankly, a successful Oscar-winning filmmaker saying what streamer studios tell him is likely more accurate then our guessing anyhow.

Updated On: 11/15/25 at 12:28 PM

BJR said: "Condon wasn't referring to how his film was performing (wow this is like a game of Telephone!). He was saying why they went the independent path to making this film, so he could make it how he wanted.

He was saying streamers are no longer interested in **making** musicals because of those metrics of folks turning them off. Of course blockbusters like Wicked will do well once they arrive on streaming. (Hamilton is the once-in-a-generation pop cultural musical blockbuster.) But can you name any Proms or Tick Tick Booms in the past couple years? They've stopped making them. And frankly, a successful Oscar-winning filmmaker saying what streamer studios tell him is likely more accurate then our guessing anyhow."

Although Netflix did acquire Emilia Pérez (an original movie musical) from Cannes last year. Despite receiving such a polarizing reception, they managed to get it 13 Oscar nominations. Even though multiple controversies came about throughout the season, the film still walked away with 2 awards.

Daisy Crumpler said: "I'm so sad and disappointed in how little fanfare there was for this film.

I'm a complete civilian, but seems like the producers went out of their way to give the film a wider theatrical release instead of partnering with a streaming service. The musical numbers definitely deserve to be seen on a big screen, but I wonder if they had partnered with Netflix or Amazon initially, would there have been a larger ad campaign? Streaming services will sometimes put a film in theatres for limited release (usually for awards contention) before making it available at home. Maybe the push for wide release in cinemas was actually the wrong move?

Of course, at the end of the day, it's all about money so who knows."

I think it absolutely was the wrong move. But yes, it's been basically confirmed that most of the interest in distributing the film came from streaming sites, but Conden really wanted a full theatrical release (I forget the official number, but the first week was in over 1000 screens--and that doesn't include the couple hundred screens in Canada since, unlike most US wide releases, it had a different distributor a week later here in Canada.) So he got what he wanted, but little else (JKlo did do the Tonight Show and a few other stops though apparently that was on the dime of her management, and not Lions Gate.)

I'm sure glad I saw it in the theatre (twice, and to look on the bright side I didn't have any one else in the theatre to distract :P ) But I think a debut on a streamer (not as a pay on demand feature) might ultimately have done better for it, although I have no idea what that would amount to financially (but probably better than 1.5 mill or whatever they made theatrically.) It does seem to me like the type of film that people might see come up on their Netflix and be curious enough to check out.

I’m about 40 minutes into the movie, and for context, I’ve never seen the original stage production. I’m judging this strictly on its own merits. Also, it’s worth noting that movie musicals—especially those that aren’t family-friendly—rarely perform well at the box office, so I’m not sure why JLo seemed surprised by its reception.

That said, any time a movie musical gets made (even when it's meh), it deserves applause. While this hasn’t resonated with me so far, someone out there may find it inspiring. JLo should be credited for bringing this story to a mainstream audience and championing it the way she has.

I love the concept, and I imagine it was magical on stage. On screen, though, the production feels surprisingly low-budget. Bill Condon is known for creating lush, extravagant worlds, but here everything just feels… okay. There’s a flatness to the execution that keeps it from fully coming alive. I can't put my finger on it.

Jennifer Lopez is clearly putting in the effort, and the abundance of full-body shots seems designed to highlight that she’s doing all the choreography herself. But those choices sometimes pull away from the intimacy the character needs. She’s meant to be this grand, almost ethereal presence, and neither the direction nor the performance quite gets there for me.

For me, things finally pick up at “Where You Are.” I’m not sure if it’s the choreography, the energy of the song, or both, but it’s the first moment where the film really clicks.

Kiss of the Spider Woman has just received a Critics' Choice Movie Award nomination for Best Costume Design.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/WICKED-FOR-GOOD-Receives-7-Critics-Choice-Award-Nominations--Check-Out-the-Full-List-20251205

Kiss of the Spider Woman has just received a Set Decorators Society of America Award nomination for Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film.
https://nextbestpicture.com/the-2025-set-decorators-society-of-america-sdsa-nominations/

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "The movie will begin streaming on Hulu on February 27th.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/KISS-OF-THE-SPIDER-WOMAN-to-Make-Hulu-Streaming-Debut-in-February-20260126"

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "The movie will begin streaming on Hulu on February 27th.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/KISS-OF-THE-SPIDER-WOMAN-to-Make-Hulu-Streaming-Debut-in-February-20260126"

And just like the Hulu app, it'll be phased out and become forgotten history.

Updated On: 1/26/26 at 07:53 PM

For any collectors or Jennifer Lopez fans, Center Stage Records has a few CDs signed by her! https://www.broadwayrecords.com/products/kiss-of-the-spider-woman-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-signed-cd

CarlosAlberto said: "I f*cking hate what they did with “Gimme Love”

What was Condon thinking?!?!?!

Worst stage to screen adaptation - it’s right up there with “Man of La Mancha”.


The more time that passes, the more I agree. There are worse movies but this was pretty uniquely heartbreaking to me.



"

John Adams said: "CarlosAlberto said: "Worst stage to screen adaptation - it’s right up there with “Man of La Mancha.”

"The comparison of "La Mancha" and "Spider Woman" is brilliant.

Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, and James Coco. In its time, the names alone should have made the movie a winner."

As someone who liked this movie overall, I respectfully disagree with these takes. Especially given how (if you ask me) 1972's Man of La Mancha is literally one of the worst movies ever made. The only aspect that would make that musical and Spider Woman comparable is that they both have similar basic premises: This prisoner is locked up and tells a story to his cellmates.

As a fan of Next Best Picture, I get to vote for the nominations and winners for their annual film community awards. Nominating ballots are due before February 14th. To those who'd like to nominate Kiss of the Spider Woman in any category, you can do so here.
https://nextbestpicture.com/the-2025-nbp-film-community-award-nomination-ballots/