Audiences have always had a soft spot for a Steven Spielberg alien movie, and the numbers this weekend prove the feeling is still alive and well. The legendary director’s latest outing, Disclosure Day, landed in cinemas this week with his signature blend of wonder and conspiracy. This original sci-fi thriller follows whistle-blowers racing to expose proof of extraterrestrial life. With a stellar ensemble that includes Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Josh O’Connor, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo. Even with one of cinema’s most beloved filmmakers at the helm, the film’s commercial prospects were never certain.
As it turned out, the opening was well worth the wait. Disclosure Day debuted at number one domestically, pulling in $44 million from 3,824 theatres. That’s comfortably ahead of pre-release estimates of $35 million. Combined with $48.9 million from 73 international territories, the film’s global opening weekend came in at $93 million. The $100 million milestone looks likely to fall within days. Notably, this marks Spielberg’s highest-ever opening for an original film not based on an existing IP.
With a production budget of $115 million, plus a further estimated $80 million spent on marketing, overseas performance will be crucial to the film’s long-term profitability. Luckily, Spielberg has a strong track record of modest openings that build into impressive final tallies. For instance War of the Worlds opened to $64 million domestically before going on to gross $603 million worldwide. That history should give Universal cause for optimism.
The road ahead won’t be entirely clear though for Disclosure Day. Toy Story 5 arrives this week to compete for family audiences, and the World Cup will inevitably draw eyeballs away worldwide. Still, if Spielberg’s career has taught us anything, it’s that when it comes to aliens at the cinema, the man knows how to make contact.
