Movie roles have brought in a significant portion of Jennifer Lopez's earnings since the beginning of her career. After all, her iconic portrayal of the "Queen of Tejano Music," Selena Quintanilla, in the 1997 biopic "Selena" made her a household name. This film alone earned Lopez $1 million, and she was the first Latina actor to make this much money from a single movie, per Variety, as previously mentioned.
After "Selena," Lopez went on to star in a string of other films, including "The Wedding Planner," "Anaconda," and "Gigli," just to name a few. "The Wedding Planner" helped the star garner another record-breaking earning, as she was paid $9 million for her role in the 2001 film. Lopez and her former agent, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, revealed to Variety in 2020 that they had to fight for fair pay. "You were my agent, and you were asking for a certain price that you thought I merited, and they were buckling back," Lopez recalled to Goldsmith-Thomas. "Then [director Adam Shankman] came to one of my record signings, and he said, 'Give her whatever she wants.' The line was around the block."
Lopez also starred in and produced "Hustlers" in 2019, as previously mentioned. The popular film tells the true story of a group of New York City-based exotic dancers who stole from their wealthy clients, but it also humanizes these dancers and explores their struggles. The movie grossed over $157.5 million worldwide.
