Steven Spielberg is back on top of the box office.
The legendary filmmaker's new sci-fi thriller Disclosure Day opened at No. 1 worldwide this weekend, pulling in $48.9 million from 73 international markets and another $44 million domestically for a global debut of $92.9 million, Variety reports.
The film marks Spielberg's biggest opening weekend ever for an original movie, not adjusted for inflation, and gives the director his first major summer blockbuster launch in a decade.
Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, and Colman Domingo, Disclosure Day follows a meteorologist and a cybersecurity expert who team up to uncover a government conspiracy involving extraterrestrial life. The film revisits Spielberg's long-running fascination with alien stories, decades after classics like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.
International audiences will play a major role in determining the film's long-term success. Universal reportedly spent $115 million to produce Disclosure Day and another $80 million marketing it worldwide, meaning the movie will likely need to earn around $300 million globally to turn a profit.
Premium theaters gave the film an early boost. IMAX and other large-format screens accounted for roughly 15% of international ticket sales, contributing $6.5 million overseas.
The United Kingdom and Ireland led all foreign markets with $7.6 million, followed by Mexico with $3.9 million. China and France each added $2.9 million.
While critics have largely embraced the film, audience reactions have been more divided. Disclosure Day currently holds an 80% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a B CinemaScore from moviegoers, leaving some questions about how strongly it will hold in the weeks ahead.
Still, Universal is optimistic. The studio noted that the film appealed to audiences across North America and skewed older, with 41% of ticket buyers aged 45 and up, a demographic that doesn't always rush to theaters on opening weekend.
Elsewhere at the box office, indie horror sensation Obsession continued its remarkable run with $19 million domestically, bringing its worldwide total to $286.5 million. Last weekend's champion, Scary Movie, fell to third place with $14.5 million, while Backrooms added another $11.3 million.
Meanwhile, the Michael Jackson biopic Michael is closing in on another milestone. The film earned an additional $21 million globally this weekend, pushing its worldwide total to $932.2 million and putting it within striking distance of the $950 million mark.
