Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day is drawing crowds back to theaters, but its opening numbers are underwhelming: $90 million in its first days against a $165 million budget. The new alien invasion thriller also marks Spielberg’s return to sci-fi after projects
For the third straight day. moviegoers are still deciding whether to take the leap into Steven Spielberg’s new alien invasion thriller. Disclosure Day. The film has pulled some major star power—Emily Blunt and Colman Domingo are among the headline names—but the first days at the box office have been far more modest than what a $165 million production invites.
Disclosure Day opened in theaters last weekend and grossed only $90 million during its first few days at the box office. That gap—between early momentum and the film’s budget—is the story right now, even as audiences charge back to theaters around the world to see Spielberg’s latest sci-fi swing.
Spielberg himself has been on a noticeable hiatus from the genre. His last two feature films before Disclosure Day were West Side Story and The Fabelmans—projects that went in a much different direction. Now, with Spielberg almost 80 years old, the pressure isn’t just commercial. It’s also about whether the filmmaker who helped revolutionize sci-fi and made it relevant can still deliver the kind of blockbuster wonder that brought audiences back again and again.
Disclosure Day’s place in that history also depends on what came immediately before it in Spielberg’s sci-fi lane. Ready Player One was his last sci-fi movie before Disclosure Day arrived. Released eight years earlier than the global premiere of Ready Player One. the film leaned into fun rather than seriousness. and it remains. even with its flaws. one of the most enjoyable Spielberg movies he has ever directed.
The catch: Ready Player One is now playing a different kind of role for viewers—one that looks more sustainable than the fast-moving theater conversation. Eight years removed from its worldwide premiere, Ready Player One is streaming on HBO Max in America. It has also quietly become one of the top 10 most-watched titles on VOD platforms around the world. including Prime Video and Apple TV.
The cast connection between the two worlds is part of what’s fueling the buzz. In Ready Player One, Spielberg recruited Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke to star, alongside Ben Mendelsohn and T.J. Miller. Cooke. today. is best known for her role as Alicent Hightower in the HBO original fantasy series House of the Dragon.
Ready Player One also carries its own public debate—one that helps explain how audiences talk about Spielberg’s sci-fi choices. One of the most common criticisms was the intense amount of pop-culture references. Some parts of the film felt like Space Jam 2, where it was more of an advertisement for other Warner Bros. properties than anything else.
The two films sit close in the spotlight because they answer the same big question from opposite directions: what does Spielberg’s sci-fi look like when it has to prove itself quickly in theaters, and what happens when it finds its audience more slowly on streaming?
Ready Player One may have been made for the escapism of 2045 and the virtual world of the OASIS. but it’s still landing with audiences now. A condensed synopsis describes a future where. in 2045. the real world is a bleak wasteland and most of humanity escapes into the OASIS—a vast virtual universe. When its visionary creator dies. he leaves behind hidden challenges. and teenager Wade Watts (played by Tye Sheridan) joins a global race to find the ultimate Easter egg that grants total control of the OASIS.
Disclosure Day’s current theater figures make that future-finding feel urgent. With an opening of $90 million in its first few days against a $165 million budget, the next stretch matters. And for viewers still weighing the decision. the contrast is hard to ignore: Spielberg’s biggest sci-fi memories may be coming back through Ready Player One’s steady streaming momentum. even as his new alien thriller tries to build the same kind of inevitability from scratch.
Steven Spielberg Disclosure Day Emily Blunt Colman Domingo Ready Player One HBO Max Prime Video Apple TV Tye Sheridan Olivia Cooke Ben Mendelsohn T.J. Miller House of the Dragon sci-fi
Only $90M so far?? That seems bad for Spielberg.
I feel like people are acting like $165M is automatically guaranteed to be a hit, but whatever. Also I can’t tell if it’s “opening numbers” or “first days” like they’re counting weekends different? My cousin said the movie was confusing but maybe that’s just her.
Isn’t this the alien movie where the aliens are like… metaphor aliens? Because that’s what trailers made it seem like. If Spielberg is almost 80 then maybe he should’ve just done another “Ready Player One” style thing, you know? The article keeps comparing everything and I’m lost.
Budget looming at $165M is such a weird way to judge it, because movies always get weird in the first days. Like, didn’t Ready Player One also do good later? Also the article says “game back to theaters” but then acts like crowds aren’t coming, which is it. I’m waiting for it to show up on streaming anyway lol.