Kiss of the Spider Womanis the intriguing new genre-bending drama fromChicagoscreenwriter Bill Condon, starringAndor’s Diego Luna, pop icon Jennifer Lopez, and rising star Tonatiuh. This project has gone through a similar adaptation process toWicked’s book to stage to screen trajectory, as the 2025 movie is an adaptation of the stage musical based on the 1976 book.
The second movie adaptation of this novel,Kiss of the Spider Womanfollows two men in prison in 1983 Argentina — political prisoner Valentín (Luna) and gay window dresser Molina (Tonatiuh) — who become unlikely friendsas one describes a Hollywood musical, starring Igrid Luna (Lopez). As seen in the marketing, the two main characters are woven into dream sequences of the movie being discussed.
After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025 to generally positive reviews,Kiss of the Spider Womanwill arrive in theaters on Oct. 10.The first full trailer showcases the vibrant Hollywood fantasies that come to life as Molina tells the story of the fictional movie starring his favorite actress, while circumstances become more dire in reality.
Check out the new trailer forKiss of the Spider Womanbelow:
What This Means For Kiss Of The Spider Woman
The newKiss of the Spider Womanis an Oscar hopeful, and though the movie itself appears to have some issues that will keep it from Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, the performances could wow the Academy.ScreenRant’s Mae Abdulbaki reviewedKiss of the Spider Womanand called the cast fantastic, saying specifically:
But while Luna is dependably good and Tonatiuh is a revelation, it’s Lopez who steals the show.
Kiss of the Spider Womancurrently holds an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes,meaning it could be a modest hit at the box office in October as other Oscar potentials arrive in theaters. As the studio rolls out more fleshed-out marketing, revealing details about the plot, they are likely hopeful that Luna and Lopez’s star power will draw in audiences.
Our Take On Kiss Of The Spider Woman’s Trailer
At least, the allure of this movie’s lead cast is already working on me.Bill Condon is also famous for penning another movie musical — one that won Best Picture— which also oscillates between glitzy musical sequences that aren’t necessarily actually happening and a gritty prison drama (one that still has more levity thanKiss of the Spider Woman’s counterpart).
I would guess thatKiss of the Spider Womanisn’t going to quite reach the heights that it clearly set out to, but it has the components to attract a dedicated audience. The trailers are especially memorable, showing off the different realities at play in the story; the marketing team could work wonders by arranging for these adverts to be shown ahead of the right movies.
