Jennifer Lopez has a chance to finally get an Oscar nomination after being snubbed more than half a decade ago. The multi-hyphenate superstar got her start as a dancer, appearing in episodes of In Living Color and Yo! MTV Raps in addition to being a backup dancer for New Kids on the Block and performing in stage productions like Jesus Christ Superstar. However, she became a notable screen actress after her debut in the 1994 music biopic Selena, which she parlayed into success as a recording artist with No. 1 singles including "If You Had My Love" and "I'm Real."

Since then, she has starred in blockbusters such as Anaconda, Maid in Manhattan, and Monster-in-Law as well as critical successes including Out of Sight, Hustlers, and the 2025 adaptation Kiss of the Spider Woman. Directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), the new Jennifer Lopez movie adapts the 1992 stage musical inspired by the 1976 novel, which was previously adapted into a 1985 movie. It stars Diego Luna and Tonatiuh as inmates of an Argentinian prison who forge a bond while Tonatiuh's character Luis frequently escapes into a musical fantasy world occupied by an imaginary classic film actress, Ingrid Luna (Lopez).

Kiss Of The Spider-Woman Could Bring Jennifer Lopez Into The 2026 Best Actress Oscar Conversation

Early Reviews Praise Her Performance

Although Kiss of the Spider Woman does debut in theaters until October 10, it has already received multiple glowing reviews out of its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. 39 early reviews have so far been aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes, giving the movie a solid score of 82% at the time of writing. The roster of positive reactions includes the movie earning a score of 7 out of 10 from ScreenRant's own Mae Abdulbaki. Read an excerpt from her Kiss of the Spider Woman review below:

While Luna is dependably good and Tonatiuh is a revelation, it’s Lopez who steals the show. She plays Luna playing Aurora and the Spider Woman, whose flashy final musical number is so good it got cheers at my Sundance screening. Lopez is everything Molina describes Ingrid to be: stunning, beguiling, confident, and thrilling. She exudes charisma and embraces the campy dialogue like a pro. This is Lopez’s moment and she gets just enough of the spotlight to shine without overshadowing Luna and Tonatiuh’s characters.

The majority of the reviews that came out of Sundance have specifically pointed to Lopez's performance as a highlight of the movie. This, along with the fact that Kiss of the Spider Woman's fall 2025 release date positions it well to be a strong contender in the awards season (it comes out almost exactly a year after Anora, which won Best Picture), could lead to Jennifer Lopez potentially earning her first Oscar nomination, six years later than she should have.

Jennifer Lopez Should Have Received Her First Oscar Nomination For Hustlers

It Would've Been Her First Nomination

This Oscar nomination could redeem her snub for 2019's Hustlers, in which she portrayed an experienced stripper who takes a younger performer under her wing. It very much seemed that she was on a trajectory toward an Oscar nomination for Best ing Actress. In fact, over the course of the 2019-2020 awards season, Hustlers won 13 awards, 11 of which went to Lopez, including a National Film & TV Award, a Satellite Award, and a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe and a Razzie Redeemer Award.

The non-Lopez-related awards won by Hustlers were a spot on the New York Film Critics Online Top 10 Films list and a Creative Coalition's Spotlight Initiative Award for Keke Palmer at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Lopez had previously starred in the Oscar-nominated movies Out of Sight in 1998 and The Cell in 2000, meaning that she had already come close to a nod multiple times, but she was ultimately not nominated in her category, losing out to Margot Robbie for Bombshell, Kathy Bates for Richard Jewell, Scarlett Johansson for Jojo Rabbit, Florence Pugh for Little Women, and Laura Dern for Marriage Story (who won the category in addition to beating Lopez for the Golden Globe). Thus, Lopez was snubbed for what would have been her first Oscar nomination. Hustlers was also snubbed in its entirety.

Will Jennifer Lopez Get An Oscar Nomination For Kiss Of The Spider-Woman?

An Early Look At The Best Actress Race

Although it is possible that the importance of the role could lead Lopez to be eligible for Best Actress, her screen time suggested that she will most likely be considered for Best ing Actress for Kiss of the Spider Woman. However, that category is already crowded with 2026 frontrunners. Variety suggests that some actors to watch in the coming awards season are Emily Blunt for The Smashing Machine, Ariana Grande for Wicked: For Good (she was previously nominated for Wicked), Kate Hudson for Song Song Blue, Greta Lee in Late Fame, and Samantha Morton in Anemone.

Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for his performance as Hannibal Lecter in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, even though he only had less than 25 minutes of screen time.

However, the frontrunners from the beginning of the year tend to change drastically amid the glut of awards contenders that are released between October and December. This could give Jennifer Lopez an edge, especially if the Academy decides not to nominate Ariana Grande for a second time for the same role, in order to avoid repeating themselves.

Source(s): Variety