Why Is J.Lo's Stock Plummeting?

The Back-Up Plan had an unimpressive opening. The numbers on her paycheck are diminishing, as are her record sales. Is the world over Jennifer Lopez, and if so, why?

Peter Lauria at The Daily Beast crunches the numbers and concludes that Lopez is in danger of becoming “little more than Mrs. Marc Anthony.” (Ouch. Although in pure economic terms, it wouldn’t be that much of a comedown.) At her peak in the late 90s and early 2000s, Lopez sold 10 million records; now she’s lucky to sell a million. She’s making about a third of what she used to on acting, in accordance with declining box office.

So why is this happening? It is suggested that her declining fortune is due to alienating her humble constituency, in part with a recent, unheralded single called “Louboutins” :

“If your pitch has been ‘Jenny from the block,'” says one person whose music-related company has done business with J. Lo, “you don’t do a song about $700 shoes. Know your demographic.”

Really? Did this person miss the period when Lopez was practically synonymous with late-90s bling? Jenny from the block was always part of the pitch, but it was at the left side of the arc, culminating in a highwater point of happy consumerism. It in fact makes perfect sense for her brand to have a single called “Louboutins.” It’s just that it all seems rather spent at this moment. As does, by the way, the formulaic romcom she just starred in.

But the piece doesn’t even mention a major facet of Lopez’s recent career trajectory: she took off two years to have and raise twins, although the slide did begin before that. Still, it’s fair to ask: Has the world just mommy-tracked J.Lo?

The J-Lo Implosion [Daily Beast]
Jennifer Lopez Has New Plan: ‘Back-up’ Film, Music, Family [USAT]