Steven Spielberg’s alien conspiracy thriller “Disclosure Day” collected a leading $48.9 million from 73 territories in its international box office debut.
Overseas audiences will be key in the theatrical longevity of “Disclosure Day,” which Universal spent $115 million to produce and $80 million to market. Since about half of revenues go to theater owners, the movie needs to generate roughly $300 million globally to justify its price tag. Along with $44 million in North America, “Disclosure Day” has generated $92.9 million after three days of release. Reviews are positive but audience reactions have been mixed, so a bigger question is how the film will endure on the big screen.
Spielberg is a household name through blockbusters like “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and Raiders of the Lost Arc,” and his movies are known to enjoy staying power at the box office. His prior summer blockbuster, 2018’s “Ready Player One,” for example, opened to $41 million and ended up with $137 million domestically and $607 million worldwide.
“Disclosure Day” stars Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor as a meteorologist and a cybersecurity expert who join forces to expose the government’s cover-up of extraterrestrial life. The movie had a notable turnout on premium large format screens including Imax, which accounted for $6.5 million or 15% of overseas grosses. Top territories for “Disclosure Day” were the United Kingdom and Ireland with $7.6 million, Mexico with $3.9 million, China with $2.9 million and France with $2.9 million.
