Will Jennifer Lopez be able to bounce back from her difficult year? PR experts weigh in amid latest movie flop

Jennifer Lopez has certainly had a hard year.

On top of her extremely public divorce from Ben Affleck, the singer also faced a slew of career blows – from her highly criticized documentary and her album that failed to even make the top 30 to her newest film that completely tanked at the box office.

In addition, the Jenny From the Block songstress, 55, also canceled what was supposed to be her massive comeback tour.

And while she said it was because she wanted to spend time with family, the cancelation came amid reports of low ticket sales.

Just last week, she faced an awkward moment when an interviewer made a blunt comment about her age and the changes she has endured as of late, but she vowed that ‘the best is yet to come.’

It raises the question: will Jennifer be able to bounce back from the multiple struggles that plagued both her personal and professional life this year?

Now, PR experts have weighed in, and they agreed that it may be more of a ‘short-term stumble’ than a career-ending year.

Celebrity PR guru Jon Harris, 56, from Chicago, Illinois, told DailyMail.com exclusively, ‘Jennifer Lopez is no stranger to adversity. She’s built her entire career on resilience and reinvention, and I don’t see this moment as an ending – it’s a pivot point.’

‘She’s proven time and again that setbacks don’t define her – they fuel her … The truth is, J.Lo’s brand transcends short-term stumbles. 

‘She isn’t just one album, one movie, one relationship, or even one era of her career. She’s a symbol of hard work, reinvention, and staying power.

‘Public attention is a double-edged sword, but if anyone knows how to turn scrutiny into strength, it’s her. 

‘People love a comeback story, and when she’s ready to own the narrative, the world will be ready to listen.’ 

Eric Schiffer, a ‘leading international expert in reputation, brand and political strategy,’ from Los Angeles, California, echoed his sentiments.

‘In many ways JLo’s comeback has been like watching someone try to microwave ice cream – confusing and doomed from the start.

‘But, queens don’t crumble – they recalibrate. This is not career suicide for JLo since her celebrity remains too mega.

‘But she will keep bleeding out brand sentiment until she chooses to partake in quality projects authentic to her talent and says no to anything, no matter the extra dollars, that don’t meet that standard.’

JLo’s devastating year is especially shocking considering she was once one of the most popular singers on the planet.

Throughout the early 2000s, the Let’s Get Loud songstress dominated the charts with her hits, broke multiple records with her platinum-selling albums, sold out numerous global tours, and starred in a slew of popular movies.

But 2024 was a far cry from her early noughties peak, and only time will tell if this is the beginning of the Queen of Dance’s downward spiral or if she’ll be able to come back even stronger.

As we wait to see what she does next, FEMAIL has taken a look back at the highs – and many lows – that she faced this year.

From her dwindling career to her heartbreaking love life, take a look back at Jennifer’s not-so-successful 2024.

The comeback album that failed to top the charts: Jennifer dropped her first LP in a decade – but it was a flop

Jennifer had a strong 2023, as she starred in and co-produced the Amazon Prime comedy Shotgun Wedding, which was one of the most streamed films on the platform that year.

She also had a part in the Netflix film The Mother, which became one of the top watched original films on the app of all time, and launched her own spritz brand and footwear line in 2023.

But her momentum came to a screeching halt in early 2024, when she released her new album, This Is Me… Now.

It certainly had a lot of buzz around it, since it was her first album in a decade, which is why it shocked many people when it hardly rose on the charts.

It reached number 38 – making it JLo’s first album to not make the top 20 – and only sold 14,000 copies in its debut week. 

Critics were harsh on the LP, which was heavily inspired by her romance with Ben.

The Guardian described it as ‘hopelessly middle of the road,’ adding, ‘It offers very little outside of simply sound tracking a cozy night in chez Bennifer.’

‘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.

Her ‘out of touch’ movies: She released a musical film and documentary – both of which were panned

The album was accompanied by a musical film, called This is Me… Now: A Love Story, as well as a documentary, entitled The Greatest Love Story Never Told, both of which were widely panned by critics.

This is Me… Now: A Love Story starred Jennifer, Jane Fonda, Fat Joe, Kim Petras, Keke Palmer, Post Malone, Sofia Vergaras, Trevor Noah, and Derek Hough and ‘showcased Jennifer’s journey to love through her own eyes.’

‘With fantastical costumes, breathtaking choreography, and star-studded cameos, this panorama is an introspective retrospective of Jennifer’s resilient heart,’ reads a description.

But unfortunately, it wasn’t very popular. 

‘This odd and overly self-serious music video-slash-film capitalizes on the fact that Jennifer Lopez’s love life has been tabloid fodder for decades,’ one reviewer wrote on Rotten Tomatoes. 

‘I don’t know what I just watched but I know I hated it,’ another scathed.

A third stated, ‘[Jennifer’s] confidence seems to have clouded her better judgment.’

The documentary, which was mostly about her rekindling with Ben, was equally as disliked, as people on social media dubbed it as ‘out of touch’ and ‘delusional.’

‘The Greatest Love Story Never Told never feels real enough to shake the feeling of sitting in your therapist’s office and talking around the problems you’re too embarrassed or afraid to approach head-on,’ Indie Wire wrote in a review.

‘The frequent shots of JLo sans makeup in the morning are about as raw as this thing gets.’

It was later revealed that the star was forced to finance the two films herself after all of her prospective partners pulled out, ultimately resulting in her forking over $20 million on the projects. 

In addition, Jennifer co-produced and starred in the sci-fi thriller Atlas this year, but that movie did not go over well with critics either.

The Guardian called the flick ‘jarringly ugly’ and said it was JLo’s ‘worst’ movie to date, while Screen Rant said it ‘got science fiction all wrong.’

The Wrap also wrote, ‘Hidden somewhere beneath all the generic dialogue, embarrassing plot, mediocre action and oddly ineffective performances, there’s a good idea in Brad Peyton’s Atlas. It’s a shame the filmmakers never found it.’

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a low score of 19 per cent from critics and 46 per cent from audiences. 

‘Jennifer Lopez isn’t able to save this boring and melodramatic movie that feels like a regurgitation of other action/sci-fi flicks of the past,’ one user said.

Another review read, ‘It’s an easy film to watch, because so much of it is inconsequential. It’s an even easier film to forget.’ 

Her canceled concerts: JLo was set to embark on a massive tour but ultimately put a stop to it following reports of poor ticket sales

Soon after the album and its accompanying movies debuted, Jennifer announced that she would be embarking on her first tour in five years.

But weeks later, it was revealed that she had canceled shows across seven cities; no cause or explanation for the cancelation was provided by the performer or her team.

Then in early April, it was revealed that the tour had been rebranded from This Is Me… Now: The Tour to This Is Me… Live.

At the time, Variety reported that it was going to focus more on her greatest hits rather than the music off her latest album, This Is Me… Now.

A source told DailyMail.com afterwards that the rebrand was expected to draw in fans from her previous work and lure in listeners who didn’t connect with This Is Me… Now.

The decision was said to have been partly inspired by the success of her competitors like Taylor Swift and Madonna, who have enjoyed hugely popular tours in the last two years. 

‘Jennifer saw how well Taylor Swift did with the Eras Tour and Madonna did with Celebration, which spans their entire careers, and she hopes to be able to deliver something that will take her fans through the journey of her life,’ an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively.  

‘This Is Me… Now was such a healing and cathartic experience for her. She does not regret it for one second.

‘But now she is looking forward and is ready to bring this back to her roots and show her fans that she is still, and always will be, Jenny from the Block.’

But as of early May, it looked like Jennifer was still struggling to sell tickets, as blocks of seating still available at multiple venues. 

Official seat maps on Ticketmaster showed large numbers of tickets still unsold, and resale sites had some for as little as $10.

Two weeks later, a source told DailyMail.com that organizers were keen to pull the plug on the tour to stave embarrassment over the poor sales – but the hitmaker and her manager refused.

‘A few weeks ago, Live Nation met with JLo’s manager Benny Medina to suggest cancelling JLo’s tour and because him and JLo are so adamant that the show must go on, it’s going on,’ the insider said. 

A second source added, ‘Live Nation is very concerned about the lack of tickets sold and doesn’t want Jen to feel embarrassed when she goes out there and sees empty patches in the stadiums she is going to perform at.

‘But Jen has too much pride to cancel it, so it’ll currently be what it will be, they can’t convince her to change course.’ 

In late May, Jennifer officially canceled the tour ‘to be with her children, family and close friends.’

Her fourth failed marriage: Jennifer filed from divorce from Ben three years after their reconciliation captured the nation

Jennifer and Ben made headlines when they rekindled their love in 2021 – decades after they first got together.

The initially dated in 2002 after bonding on set of the film Gigi, and they quickly got engaged. 

But they called it quits in 2004, just before they were set to become husband and wife. 

They both went on to wed other people – she exchanged vows with Mac Anthony in 2004, while he walked down the aisle with Jennifer Garner in 2005 – but after splitting from their respective partners, they eventually got back together. 

They  tied the knot in Las Vegas in July 2022, and it was a love story that completely captured the nation.

Their picture-perfect romance seemed to be going strong when the year started, and it inspired her album, musical film, and documentary.

But people began to suspect that something had gone wrong in the summer, after they noticed the couple went over a month without being seen together publicly.

Soon, rumors erupted that they were splitting, which were only strengthened when it was reported that they were living in separate homes.

JLo officially filed for divorce in August after months of speculation, listing the date of separation as April 26, 2024, on legal docs obtained by DailyMail.com, and it marked the singer’s fourth failed marriage. 

Public backlash: Meghan McCain called JLo a ‘deeply unpleasant person’ and said she needs to ‘humble herself’

On top of her career and personal struggles, JLo also faced some public backlash this year.

Most notable was when Meghan McCain went on a fierce tirade against her on her podcast.

She branded Jennifer as a ‘deeply unpleasant person’ and said the singer showed up with a bigger entourage than ‘the President’ when she interviewed her on The View in 2019.

Meghan, who served as a host on the daytime talk show from 2017 until 2021, said, ‘I actually feel bad right now because I feel like [there’s] bullying happening to JLo and I don’t want to add to that. 

‘But she just is a deeply unpleasant person. She had the biggest entourage I’ve ever seen of any celebrity. 

‘More than Kim Kardashian, more than the President. And I just don’t really understand why it was needed.

‘JLo does not have a reputation for being a nice, normal person. I’m not exposing [anything].’

Meghan also branded JLo’s documentary as ‘not good’ and said her acting as of late ‘has not been great’ – but the TV personality insisted she was ‘not trying to be shady.’

‘She needs to humble herself a little bit because she’s getting [hate] all over the internet especially on TikTok,’ she continued.

‘There’s a lot of people, like real people, lower level people who work on shows, service workers, waitresses who have really negative stories about her. 

‘And again, I just know my experience. I was a host at The View and she was not nice. Whatever, you don’t always have to be nice it was just surprising given that people like Kim Kardashian couldn’t be more delightful. 

‘When you’re coming on a show for a 10-minute segment, just fake it until you make it for 10 minutes.’

Jennifer also faced an awkward encounter during an interview this week, when a reporter made quips about her age.

During a screening of her new film Unstoppable, Variety’s Senior Awards Editor Clayton Davis said, ‘I can’t believe it’s been 30 years since Selena,’ referring to her role in the 1997 biopic, Selena, about iconic Mexican-American singer, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.

‘I can’t believe that in 30 years we’re going to do a retrospective of this, and you will be 60 by then, which is…’ he trailed off, as a stunned Jennifer interrupted with, ‘Wow.’ 

He then joked the Hustlers star was ‘getting up there’ in age, eliciting gasps from the audience. 

She nodded her head, replying in a quiet tone, ‘I am.’

She then turned to the crowd and said she wanted to thank them for being with her for a ‘long time.’ 

‘What a journey this has been,’ she added. ‘And I honestly feel that the best is yet to come.’