‘The Boy Next Door’ Movie: Jennifer Lopez’s Film Scores Despite Poor Reviews

Jennifer Lopez’s raunchy new film The Boy Next Door scored high at the box office this weekend. The sexy new thriller raked in $5.7 million on its debut on Friday. This puts Lopez’s new movie in line for a possible $15 million weekend, which is at least four times its budget. These stats are shocking some critics, who have been slamming The Boy Next Door for its over-the-top plot and raunchy sex scenes. It’s not entirely shocking since Lopez is one of the most recognizable stars and actresses in the country at this moment.

Jennifer has finally strayed away from the romantic comedies she’s known for doing. Her last romantic comedy was Monster in Law, which opened with $23 million in May of 2005, according to Forbes. That movie remains as Jennifer’s largest live-action debut weekend. Jennifer’s name will obviously get people in the theater, even if the film has been dubbed as trashy or crazy. Her A-list name combined with the rumored steamy sex scenes could also get people into the theater as well.

Lopez’s film has already been penned as a flop from the media. Critics declared Johnny Depp’s film Mortdecai as the worst movie of 2015. However, there are some critics who believe that Lopez’s The Boy Next Door is quickly trailing behind. It’s been Lopez’s first serious acting role since Parker in 2013.

Critics are already calling Jennifer’s new movie awful. Jennifer’s movie received a whopping 13 precent on Rotten Tomatoes. The Boy Next Door also got a 1.5 out of 4 rating from Roger Ebert’s website. Brian Orndorf wrote his own critique on Blu-ray.com.

“Isn’t even approachable as junk food, failing to turn flatlining material into deliciously sinful escapism. And here I thought Cohen couldn’t get any worse than 2012’s Alex Cross. I stand corrected.”

Some are saying that Jennifer’s new movie is trying too hard to be the next Fatal Attraction thriller. This unapologetic raunchy film may seem like a campy thriller rather than an iconic and sexy film. Ed Gonzalez of Slant magazine summed it up.

“Rob Cohen’s The Boy Next Door flips the gender switch on ‘Fatal Attraction’ and calls it a day.”

The only real advantage that Lopez’s The Boy Next Door is getting is some tabloid fodder. Lopez has been rumored to be dating her young co-star, Ryan Guzman. The two have been posting pictures of each other all over Instagram. That seems to be the only thing to get the fans talking and going into the movie theaters. Fans are curious to see Lopez’s chemistry with Guzman play out on the screen.

Jennifer’s film also got a recent review on the Inquisitr. Paula Mooney reported that some of the moviegoers laughed as they walked out of the theater. Jennifer’s The Boy Next Door may not be a comedy, but it’s being described as “over-the-top” and “crazy.” It seems like all of the promoting that Jennifer is doing is working.

Lopez has been working hard to promote her film. She’s made several television appearances on Watch What Happens Live, The Wendy Williams Show, and Late Night Starring Jimmy Fallon. Lopez has been working really hard to get her fans in the theaters, despite what critics have to say. Maybe because she knows that it’s the movie that could save her acting career.

[Image from The Boy Next Door]