Steven Spielberg's 'Disclosure Day' Explores Alien Conspiracy Themes in New Thriller
Steven Spielberg's alien conspiracy thriller 'Disclosure Day,' starring Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor, opens in theaters on June 12, 2026, earning an 85–91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film follows a cybersecurity whistleblower and a Kansas City meteorologist who develop psychic abilities as they race to expose a decades-long government cover-up of extraterrestrial contact, pursued by a shadowy defense contractor called Wardex. The release arrives amid real-world U.S. government UAP file disclosures and is widely seen as Spielberg's most personal return to sci-fi since 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'
Directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp based on Spielberg's own story treatment, 'Disclosure Day' is a PG-13 chase thriller running 2 hours 25 minutes that posits aliens have visited Earth and that the U.S. government, through a private contractor named Wardex, has suppressed the evidence since the 1947 Roswell incident. Josh O'Connor plays Daniel Kellner, a cybersecurity expert who steals classified files and a powerful alien device from Wardex, while Emily Blunt plays Margaret Fairchild, a Kansas City TV meteorologist who suddenly acquires telepathic and multilingual abilities after a cardinal flies into her apartment, eventually transmitting an alien language on live air. Colin Firth plays Wardex CEO Noah Scanlon, the film's antagonist, who believes public disclosure would destabilize a world already on the brink of nuclear conflict between the U.S., Russia, and North Korea. Critics broadly praised the film as a vigorous, entertaining return to Spielberg's 1970s–80s sci-fi sensibility, with particular acclaim for Blunt's performance, though some noted the film lacks the transcendent wonder of 'Close Encounters' and that its final act becomes predictable. Box office projections range from $35–50 million domestically in its opening weekend, with competition from the FIFA World Cup and the NBA Finals cited as headwinds; the film's $115 million net production budget makes a strong run important for Universal and Amblin.
What's missing
No source provides confirmed final production or marketing budget figures, nor any post-opening weekend box office actuals.
How coverage differed
The Atlantic and Rolling Stone frame the film primarily as a politically resonant work about institutional distrust, whistleblowing, and Spielberg's anxieties about contemporary American life, drawing explicit parallels to Trump-era politics and global conflict. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter treat it more as a craft and genre exercise, praising its technical execution while noting it falls short of the awe generated by 'Close Encounters,' without foregrounding political allegory.
What different sources said
- Rolling StoneLeft
Aliens Are Among Us. Just Ask Steven Spielberg
- DeadlineCenter
Box Office: 'Disclosure Day' Spielberg Movie Eyes $65 Million Start
- Consequence of SoundCenter
A Definitive Ranking of Every Steven Spielberg Movie
- ABC AustraliaCenter
Spielberg’s Disclosure Day is a close encounter of the hopeful kind
- PolygonCenter
No matter what Steven Spielberg does, he'll never eclipse my favorite alien invasion thriller
- SlateLeft
<em>Disclosure Day</em> Is Like a Towering Sculpture Spielberg Has Been Molding for Decades out of Mashed Potatoes
- Smithsonian MagazineCenter
What's Behind Steven Spielberg's Lifelong Obsession With Flying Saucers and Extraterrestrial Visitors?
- VarietyCenter
‘Disclosure Day’ Review: Steven Spielberg’s Invigorating Chase Thriller Taps Into the Mania for Alien Conspiracy Theory, but It Never Becomes a Close Encounter With Wonder
- The AtlanticLeft
Spielberg Hasn’t Abandoned Hope for Humanity
- Daily WireRight
Would Little Green Men Prove Evolution Wrong?
- Sydney Morning HeraldCenter
What to watch at the movies this week: Was Steven Spielberg right about aliens all along?
- EuronewsCenter
'Disclosure Day': Will Steven Spielberg deliver an audacious on-screen alien?
- Deutsche WelleCenter
'Disclosure Day': For Steven Spielberg, aliens are not just fiction
- The Hollywood ReporterCenter
‘Disclosure Day’ Review: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colin Firth Lead Steven Spielberg’s Spellbinding Return to What He Does Best
- ForbesCenter
‘Disclosure Day’ Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Say Spielberg Alien Tale Is Out Of This World
- France 24Center
'Disclosure Day': Spielberg's latest extra-terrestrial exploit
- The Jerusalem PostRight
Spielberg’s 'Disclosure Day' excites but falters in final act
- New ScientistCenter
The one film to watch before seeing Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day
- New York PostRight
As Steven Spielberg releases ‘Disclosure Day,’ we reveal who Hollywood turns to for alien secrets
- The EconomistCenter
Steven Spielberg has more to say about aliens
- NPR CultureLeft
'Disclosure Day' star Josh O'Connor received a 'genius' late-night text from Spielberg
- AL.comCenter
Steven Spielberg movies ranked from best to worst
- JoBloCenter
Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day gets $6 million worth of believers in early Thursday’s domestic box office numbers
‘Disclosure Day’ Review: Spielberg Plays His Greatest Cosmic Hits
- National ReviewRight
<i>Disclosure Day</i>: An Unequal Sequel
- GizmodoCenter
Let’s Talk About the Ending of ‘Disclosure Day’
- WiredLeft
Why Real-Life Disclosure Day Will Look Nothing Like Steven Spielberg’s New Movie
- Scientific AmericanCenter
Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day gets one major thing wrong about the search for aliens
- India TodayCenter
Disclosure Day review: Spielberg's latest is messy, thoughtful and timely
- ReasonRight
Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day Has Some Strange Assumptions About the Media
- 411Mania.Center
Disclosure Day Review
- Space.comCenter
'Disclosure Day' review: A close encounter with Spielberg's brilliance that doesn't quite make contact
- CBCLeft
Is Spielberg going Scorsese with Disclosure Day?
- Business InsiderLeft
Every single Steven Spielberg movie, ranked from worst to best
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