Jennifer Lopez's 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Opens in UK and Irish Cinemas
Jennifer Lopez's musical film Kiss of the Spider Woman has opened in UK and Irish cinemas following a difficult US box office run, with British and Irish critics offering mixed reviews — though co-star Tonatiuh's performance as Luis Molina, a trans woman imprisoned in 1983 Argentina, has drawn near-universal praise as the emotional heart of the film.
Background
Kiss of the Spider Woman has a rich cultural history that stretches back half a century. The story originated with the 1976 novel El beso de la mujer araña by Argentine author Manuel Puig, a landmark work of Latin American literature that explored themes of identity, fantasy, and political repression through the relationship between two cellmates in a Buenos Aires prison. The novel was first adapted into a critically acclaimed 1985 film directed by Hector Babenco, in which William Hurt won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Molina. A successful Broadway musical followed in 1992, with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb — the duo behind Cabaret and Chicago — and it is this stage musical that forms the basis of the 2026 film.
The 2026 adaptation is directed by Bill Condon, known for Dreamgirls and the live-action Beauty and the Beast, who also wrote the screenplay. The film is set in a prison in Buenos Aires in 1983, during the final year of the Argentine military dictatorship, and centres on the relationship between Luis Molina — a trans woman imprisoned for "public indecency" — and Valentin Arregui Paz, a stern political activist. Jennifer Lopez plays Aurora, the glamorous star of the fantasy film-within-the-film, and the titular Spider Woman.
Key Developments
The film's US theatrical run proved commercially challenging. Against a production budget of $30 million, it grossed only around $1.7 million worldwide, earning just $891,046 in its domestic opening weekend from 1,331 theatres. Critics and box office analysts attributed the poor commercial performance to a tonal clash between the grim, politically charged prison drama and the lavish, stylised musical numbers, with many feeling the song-and-dance sequences detracted from the story's emotional weight and political urgency.
The UK and Irish critical reception has been similarly mixed. The Telegraph awarded the film two stars, labelling it "Jennifer Lopez's biggest box-office flop in two decades" and stating that the musical numbers "detract more than they add." The Irish Times gave it three stars, praising Lopez's performance but finding the film "underpowered and poorly thought through." The Irish Independent was more critical, describing the movie as "slow, watery and tonally uneven." However, one element of the film has attracted near-universal acclaim: Tonatiuh's portrayal of Luis Molina, for which the Mexican-American actor reportedly lost 45 pounds to better embody the character's physical and emotional state, has been described by critics as "standout" and "career-defining."
Why It Matters
Kiss of the Spider Woman arrives at a moment of significant cultural debate about representation, identity, and the politics of casting in Hollywood. The decision to cast Tonatiuh — a trans actor — in the role of Molina has been widely praised as a meaningful step towards authentic representation, and his performance has demonstrated that such casting choices can produce work of genuine artistic distinction. The film's commercial struggles, however, raise questions about the viability of prestige musical dramas in the current theatrical marketplace, and about the gap between critical recognition and audience appetite for challenging, politically engaged cinema.
Local Impact
For cinema audiences across the UK and Ireland, Kiss of the Spider Woman offers a rare opportunity to see a major studio musical drama with serious artistic ambitions on the big screen. While the film's commercial performance suggests it will not be a mainstream blockbuster, it is likely to find an appreciative audience among cinephiles and those interested in its themes of identity and political repression. Belfast's independent cinema scene, including venues such as the Queen's Film Theatre, is well-placed to provide a home for the kind of thoughtful, challenging cinema that Kiss of the Spider Woman represents, and the film's UK and Irish release gives local audiences the chance to form their own judgement on a work that has divided critics.
What's Next
The film's UK and Irish theatrical run is expected to be relatively brief given its commercial performance in the US, though it may find a longer life on streaming platforms. Full details of the film and its critical reception are available at Wikipedia, while the Irish Times review provides a detailed critical assessment at The Irish Times.
