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Kiss of the Spider Woman’ Opens in Theaters as Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna Lead Bill Condon’s Musical Reimagining

A lavish screen musical reworks Puig’s classic for the big screen, set inside an Argentine prison.

Overview

  • The commercial rollout begins January 8 in regional markets, with a 128‑minute runtime and distribution by BF Distribution/BF París.
  • Jennifer Lopez embodies the film’s imagined diva personas, Diego Luna plays political prisoner Valentín, and Tonatiuh portrays Molina.
  • Bill Condon adapts the novel and the Broadway musical into large-scale numbers that frame fantasy as a counterpoint to repression, using about 60% of the stage score with new John Kander songs.
  • Production shifted key shoots to Montevideo due to budget limits, and the film served as the opening title at the Mar del Plata festival in November; some reports also cite a Sundance presentation.
  • Early reception diverges, with international praise for spectacle and craft contrasted by Argentine reviews that find the film uneven or emotionally restrained.