She’s regarded as one of the most influential Latin singers of all time having sold millions of records worldwide.
So, it might come as a surprise that LA-based singer Jennifer Lopez, 55, has suffered major career flops this year, including low ticket sales, and most recently, her new film tanking in the UK box office.
The film, called Unstoppable, dropped out of cinemas after just one week after pulling in a shameful £3,112 for its entire opening weekend in the UK, making it the 55th most-watched movie on its release.
Meanwhile, her latest album, This is Me… Now, debuted at a less than impressive number 38 on the US Billboard 200 in February, before dropping out of the charts completely.
She was later forced to pull the plug on the accompanying tour, This Is Me… Live tour in certain cities due to low ticket sales.
Jennifer’s personal life has also faced turbulence, with the singer divorcing from her husband of two years, Ben Affleck, on August 20, which happened to be the couple’s second anniversary.
At the time, a source close to the star told DailyMail.com said those close to Lopez are growing tired of her chaotic love life.
From album flops to cancelling tour dates, here, Femail reveals how the Jenny from the Block singer has had a career year from hell.
Jennifer Lopez is likely looking forward to a fresh start in 2025 following a series of career flops this year
Lopez’s latest film Unstoppable (pictured) tanked in the UK box office and dropped out of cinemas after just one week
THIS IS ME…NOW COMBEACK FLOPS
Perhaps feeling unstoppable after years of career wins, JLo attempted her most ambitious project yet – This is Me… Now.
Lopez plotted her first album in ten years, which was accompanied by both a movie musical and an intimate behind-the-scenes documentary.
Unable to find funding for the project, she coughed up her own cash to pay for the $20million project.
This Is Me… Now: A Love Story was released on February 16, along with the accompanying album.
Despite the bucket loads of publicity that the film generated, it failed to translate into album sales, with This Is Me… Now limping onto the Billboard 200 at No. 38 before dropping off the charts completely.
The album, which was heavily-inspired by her romance with Ben Affleck, was accompanied by a documentary, This is Me Now… A Love Story, which was dubbed ‘bonkers’ and a ‘over-the-top delight for fans’ by critics.
‘For all her promises to show us the real her, it’s a struggle to see it in the slick and sexy production,’ The Independent said.
Jennifer’s album (pictured) debuted on the US Billboard charts at number 38 before dropping out entirely
The 55-year-old singer announced a documentary(pictured) to support her new album This Is Me… Now
The Guardian added it ‘offers very little outside of simply soundtracking a cosy night in chez Bennifer’ adding it was ‘hopelessly middle of the road’.
El Hunt for The Standard wrote: ‘Before diving into the pulsing metal heart of J-Lo’s new fantastically-styled love story This Is Me… Now I should probably issue a quick disclaimer: even though this is among the most unhinged pieces of film imaginable, I completely understand what on earth possessed her to make it.
‘To be honest, if I happened to have a spare $20 million kicking about, the temptation to make an incredibly extra, metaphor-riddled quasi-musical about my trials and tribulations of the heart would be irresistible.
‘The problem is that it wouldn’t be a very sensible way to spend it. While proper, full-blown heartbreak hurts in a way that makes you feel like you are officially the only living person in history to ever feel this rotten – ever! – most of us have been there, done that, and got the ill-advised break-up haircut to show for it.’
TOUR CANCELLED DUE TO LOW TICKET SALES
She’s been dubbed the ‘Queen of Dance’ and is considered one of the most influential Latin entertainers of all time with six Platinum albums.
However, Lopez was forced to cancel several shows across seven cities for her highly-anticipated This is Me…Now: The Tour concert due to low ticket sales.
The 55-year-old superstar axed all scheduled dates between August 22 to August 30 in Nashville, New Orleans; Raleigh, Atlanta, Houston, Cleveland and Tampa.
Ahead of her first tour in five years, the superstar axed all scheduled dates between August 22 to August 30 in Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans; Raleigh, North Carolina; Atlanta, Houston, Cleveland and Tampa, Florida
According to Ticketmaster, the event organizer ‘had to cancel’ the performance and no actions are ‘required to obtain a refund’ to the original method of payment used at time of purchase; pictured in March 2022
According to Ticketmaster, the event organizer ‘had to cancel’ the performance and no actions were ‘required to obtain a refund’ to the original method of payment used at time of purchase.
No cause or explanation for the cancellation was provided by the performer or her team.
After the March announcement, the star looked glum as she dashed to an LA dance studio following the announcement and hid behind oversized sunglasses and was dressed in sweats and trainers.
Weeks after Lopez suddenly cancelled several dates, it seemed as though the entire tour itself was rebranded.
In April, it was revealed that the tour was to be re-titled from This Is Me… Now: The Tour to This Is Me… Live, focusing more on her greatest hits, via Variety.
The report revealed that the seven shows that were canceled in August – in Cleveland, Raleigh, Nashville, Atlanta, Tampa, New Orleans and Houston – were due to low ticket sales.
The rebrand was expected to draw in fans from her previous work, which could have lured listeners who didn’t connect with This Is Me… Now.
Live Nation, the company that is producing the tour, did not respond to requests for comment about the rebranding.
No cause or explanation for the cancellation was provided by the performer or her team (seen in 2021)
However, there are certain venues who updated artwork featuring the new tour title such as the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California and the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
The city tour, which marked her comeback to touring after a five-year hiatus, kicked off on June 26 in Orlando, Florida at Kia Center.
It then made stops across North America in Los Angeles, Montreal, Nashville, and more before wrapping up on August 17 in New York City.
This Is Me…Now The Tour came on the heels of Lopez’s album This Is Me…Now and Amazon Original, This Is Me…Now: A Love Story which were released globally on February 16, and her documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
NEW FILM FLOPS AT BOX OFFICE
Jennifer was hit with a fresh blow this month when her latest film Unstoppable tanked at the UK box office and dropped out of cinemas after just one week.
Unstoppable tells the story of wrestler Anthony Robles and the actor and singer, 55, stars as his mother Judy.
But unfortunately, the film pulled in a lowly £3,112 for its entire opening weekend in the UK – and was the 55th most-watched movie on its release.
Jennifer Lopez ‘s new film Unstoppable tanked at the UK box office and dropped out of cinemas after just one week (seen at a special screening of Unstoppable this month)
Unstoppable tells the story of wrestler Anthony Robles and the actor and singer, 55, stars as his mother Judy (pictured: Still from the film)
After its poor show at the UK box office, Unstoppable dropped out of cinemas on its second week, according to The Sun.
Unstoppable had a limited theatrical release beginning on December 6, before being dropped on the streaming service on January 16 of next year.
The premise of the film ‘centres around the life of wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and won a national championship in 2011 while competing at Arizona State University’.
Along with Jennifer, other stars that were cast in the sports drama include Jharrel Jerome, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Pena and Don Cheadle.
Yet with critics, the film received rather average reviews, with The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee was left underwhelmed by the biopic.
He wrote: ‘But more often the film is content to be just as bland and boilerplate as the many, many against-all-odds crowd-pleasers that have come before it.’
Describing the dialogue as ‘pedestrian’, Benjamin concluded: ‘Robles isn’t hard to root for but Unstoppable, a rousing yet overdone biopic, tries too hard to get us there anyway.’
But unfortunately the film pulled in a lowly £3,112 for its entire opening weekend in the UK – and was the 55th most-watched movie on its release (pictured: Still from the film)
Despite praising J-Lo and lead star Jharrel Jerome’s performance, John Nugent described it as ‘reassuringly formulaic,’.
He wrote: ‘This is a straightforwardly inspirational-by-numbers sports movie, made watchable thanks to Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez.’
Meanwhile The Sun’s Laura Stott wrote: ‘This triumph-over-adversity tale, based on a true story, doesn’t break new ground, but if you’re after a feel-good watch, it certainly delivers.’
Noting the clichés she added: ‘There are Rocky-style training homages and characters trot out clichéd motivational soundbites and locker room pep talks about chasing dreams.’
However Variety gave the film a more positive review, as they praised the ‘extraordinary’ story and added it is J-Lo’s fullest performance to date.
Owen Gleiberma wrote: ‘The true story it tells is nothing short of extraordinary, and that may be why the filmmakers didn’t feel the need to overhype it.
‘At home, Anthony relies on his mother, Judy, played by Lopez in what may be the fullest screen performance she has ever given.’
He concluded: ‘By the end, though, you might just get a touch of that real-life “Rocky” feeling, because the movie has earned it.’
The Times also praised the singer’s performance as Kevin Maher writes: ‘Lopez has given standout supporting performances in U-Turn, Out of Sight and An Unfinished Life, yet none has been as accomplished and quietly effective as her role as a downtrodden working-class mum in this rousing underdog story.’
Believing the film actually avoids the usual sports film clichés, he concluded: ‘For the most part Unstoppable manages to dodge that formula.
‘Until it doesn’t — the ending is very Hollywood. However, it’s also, it transpires, very true-to-life.’