2019 gifts Jennifer Lopez yet another win.

After the successful third season of her hit NBC dance competition, ‘World of Dance,’ the multi-talented diva succeeded the television effort by jet-setting across America for her ‘It’s My Party’ tour (which ended on a $54 million high note).  Quickly following the Stateside jaunt with putting the finishing touches on her latest film, ‘Hustlers’ (also starring Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Cardi B, and more), Lopez spent the last month pounding the promo pavement in support of the flick’s September 13th arrival.

Now, with box office receipts counted the 5o-year-old superstar can rejoice at news her stripper-inspired film has danced circles around the competition and put her in first place among the weekend’s newcomers.

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Hustlers rustled up a stellar $33.2 million-plus from 3,250 theaters at the U.S. box office, the best start ever for STXfilms and the best live-action opening of Jennifer Lopez‘s career, according to early returns.

The female-led ensemble pic came in a strong second behind New Line and Warner Bros.’

It: Chapter Two, which earned $40.7 million in its sophomore outing for a domestic total of $153.8  million.

*****

Previews of the movie saw it showered with praise from some of the industry’s top critics, a feat that only heightened whispers of Oscar buzz for the soon-to-be-Mrs. Rodriguez.  Hailed as a much needed end to the success downturn of motion pictures led by female casts, ‘Hustlers’ is the best commercially performing film of its kind since summer 2018.

“In July 2018, Warner Bros.’ star-studded, gender-bending Ocean’s 8 opened to $41.6 million domestically, followed a month later by a pleasing $26.5 million domestically for the studio’s Crazy Rich Asians. The two films went on to gross $297.7 million and $238.5 million, respectively, at the global box office. That same summer, the older-skewing Book Club, from Paramount, earned an impressive $104.4 million domestically after debuting to a modest $13.6 million.

And in 2017, Universal’s female ensemble comedy Girls Trip opened to a strong $31.2 million on its way to grossing $115.1 million domestically.”

In addition to becoming the best opening weekend of Lopez’s 24 year film career, it’s also the best opener for her co-star – Wu – and the movie’s production company, STXFilms.

[main photo source: Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock]

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