Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day has been released in cinemas today and it's not the first movie from the legendary director to polorise opinions18:41, 10 Jun 2026Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day was released in cinemas today and has well and truly divided critics as it's already proving to be this year's marmite movie.‌Critics cannot agree on whether this flick is a triumphant blockbuster or a lukewarm dud, and for the director, this isn't an entirely unfamiliar reaction as he has a few polarising films under his belt.‌Spielberg has directed over 35 films including the hugely successful; E.T: The Extra Terrestrial with a 99% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, Schindler's List with 98%, and Jaws at 97%. But it hasn't always been this hunky dory, in fact, the director has a few films under his belt that didn't quite live up to expectations.‌1941Hot off the success of Jaws and Close Encounter, war-comedy film 1941 was released in 1979 and proved to be a bit of a flop in comparison. Set days after Pearl Harbour, the film focused on the panic in Los Angeles that erupted after the attack and is loosely based on what has come to be known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid.The film has just a 39% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, and is the lowest rated film from the director on the film review aggregator site. Despite bad reviews, it was still a box office hit, raking in over $90million against a budget of $30million.‌West Side StoryOn the complete flip side of 1941, West Side Story in 2021 starring stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, received rave reviews from critics - but was still a complete box office flop.The film - which was an adaptation of the 1957 romantic stage musical - had a budget of $100million, but made but just $76 million at the box office, making it a certified BOMB, with reports that the film needed an estimated $300million in order to break even.The film has a 91% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes with a critics consensus that reads: ": "Steven Spielberg's West Side Story presents a new look at the classic musical that lives up to its beloved forebear – and in some respects might even surpass it." The poor box office performance may have in part been due to the pandemic, and also because of the decline in popularity of the genre.‌The FabelmansThe Fabelmans, released in 2022 is a coming-of-age drama loosely based on Spielberg's early life and beginnings as a film maker. The film only grossed around $44 million worldwide against its $40 million production budget but was adored by critics.The film earned Spielberg seven Oscar nominations including for; Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. It earned a 92% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, but bombed with audiences at home with The Telegraph reporting that Spielberg was now in his "flop era".The TerminalThe 2004 comedy-drama film starring Tom Hanks was famously inspired by the true story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, a man who lived in Terminal 1 of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, from 1988 to 2006 when he became stranded without valid travel documents.‌The film was a commercial success, grossing over $219 million worldwide against a $60 million budget but earned just a 61% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes with audiences pointing out the farcical nature of some scenes and the disappointment they felt after viewing what was slated to be a winning formula. Nonetheless, the film has still been praised and viewed favourably, despite clearly not being Spielberg at his best.The critics consensus for the film reads: "The Terminal transcends its flaws through the sheer virtue of its crowd-pleasing message and a typically solid star turn from Tom Hanks."The Lost World: Jurassic ParkWith a 57% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, the second film in the original Jurassic Park franchise may have been met with a lukewarm reception, but it was still a box office smash, raking in over $618.6 million against a budget of $74 million.‌The issue with it appears to be the original film's popularity which set expectations way too high, and so a sequel was concocted to try and meet audience expectations. The main feeling among fans was that the film didn't hold a candle to its predecessor and relied on recycled narratives and plot devices from the first film.The critics consensus for the film reads: "The Lost World demonstrates how far CG effects have come in the four years since Jurassic Park; unfortunately, it also proves how difficult it can be to put together a truly compelling sequel."Even Spielberg himself commented in 2016: "My sequels aren't as good as my originals because I go onto every sequel I've made and I'm too confident. This movie made a ka-zillion dollars, which justifies the sequel, so I come in like it's going to be a slam dunk and I wind up making an inferior movie to the one before. I'm talking about The Lost World and Jurassic Park."‌The BFGDespite being based on one of Roald Dahl's most popular books, The BFG released in 2016 was one of Spielberg's most unpopular films. Against a budget on $140 million, the film raked in just $195.2 million at the box office.Due to the film's poor performance in North America, the film was considered a box office bomb and is one of the lowest-grossing films of Spielberg's career. In North America it was even one of the year's biggest flops in the cinemas.Article continues belowThe Rotten Tomatoes rating has 74% with a critical consensus that reads: "The BFG minimizes the darker elements of Roald Dahl's classic in favour of a resolutely good-natured, visually stunning, and largely successful family-friendly adventure." Nonetheless, the movie has to be considered a flop by the sheer lack of interest from audiences.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.