Summer 2026 is officially here, and the movie season is already delivering some big moments. Two films that everybody has been talking about are Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day and Masters of the Universe. One is a mysterious, goosebump-giving sci-fi thriller. The other is a colorful, action-packed nostalgia trip. Let’s get into it!
🛸 Disclosure Day (2026) Spielberg Is Back, and He Brought Aliens
The Quick Scoop
If you grew up loving E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, or War of the Worlds, this film will hit you right in the heart. Spielberg returns to what he does best aliens, mystery, and making you feel something big.
Who Made It?
Director: Steven Spielberg | Writer: David Koepp | Produced by: Kristie Macosko Krieger & Steven Spielberg for Amblin Entertainment | Distributed by: Universal Pictures | Released: June 12, 2026 | Runtime: 145 minutes | Budget: $115 million
The Cast
The film stars Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Wyatt Russell. The legendary John Williams returns to do the music, which is always a treat.
What Is the Movie About?
Disclosure Day tells the story of a U.S. government-led conspiracy to hide the existence of intelligent alien life and how those plans fall apart when a small, determined group decides to reveal the truth to a world already on the edge of war and total collapse. In the trailer, Josh O’Connor’s character appears to have found proof of alien life. “People have a right to know the truth,” he says. “It belongs to 7 billion people.” We also see Emily Blunt as a TV anchor who suddenly loses the ability to speak while on air her voice turning into something creepy and otherworldly. And Colin Firth? He’s seen in a medical chair before his eyes change color. Creepy stuff. In the best way.
What Makes This One Special?
Critics have described Disclosure Day as “an astoundingly personal film” where you can feel Spielberg trying to work through the conflicting parts of his own vision. Like many of his earlier films, it deals with confronting something deeply scary and unknowable and somehow finding a way through it. There’s also a fun little historical milestone here: Disclosure Day’s June 12 release date lands on the 45th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark’s opening day and this same weekend in June previously saw the releases of E.T. in 1982 and Jurassic Park in 1993. Spielberg clearly has a thing for this week.
Ratings Across Review Sites
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film earned an 82% critical score (Certified Fresh) and a 74% audience score higher than E.T. (72%), A.I. (64%), and War of the Worlds (42%), but just under Close Encounters of the Third Kind (85%) and Minority Report (80%).
What Are Real Viewers Saying?
- Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com noted that there’s so much happening in the film that the script sometimes trips over itself trying to explain it all. Still gave it high marks overall.
- David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter pointed out that the one moment where Spielberg gets close to cheesy is when aliens appear as familiar animals calling it the film’s most distracting visual effect.
- Jon Negroni of Thank God for Movies said the film’s conspiracy elements can get a little dense, in the way that David Koepp scripts sometimes do when they’re having too much fun.
Box Office
Disclosure Day carries a reported $115 million production budget, plus roughly $80 million in marketing meaning the film needs around $300 million globally just to break even.
On opening weekend, domestic forecasts put the film between $40 million and $55 million, which Gold Derby predicted would make it the number one film at the box office.
The film opened in 73 markets on more than 50,600 screens across 21,600 locations worldwide. In many overseas markets, Disclosure Day was already earning more than Spielberg’s previous sci-fi film, Ready Player One.
⚔️ Masters of the Universe (2026) By the Power of Grayskull… Did It Work?
The Quick Scoop
He-Man is back. After nearly 40 years since the 1987 original movie, the prince of Eternia has returned to the big screen. The road to get here was a wild one, but the film finally arrived and it’s actually more fun than many expected.
Who Made It?
Director: Travis Knight | Writers: Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, David Callaham | Distributed by: Amazon MGM Studios (US) / Sony Pictures International | Released: June 5, 2026 | Runtime: 141 minutes | Budget: $170–200 million
The Cast
Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam / He-Man, Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, Jared Leto as Skeletor, Morena Baccarin, Kristen Wiig, and James Purefoy as King Randor.
What Is the Movie About?
After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power calls Prince Adam back to Eternia, where he finds his home completely destroyed under the evil rule of Skeletor. To save his family and his world, Adam teams up with his closest allies Teela and Man-at-Arms and steps into his destiny as He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe.
Ratings Across Review Sites
Masters of the Universe currently holds an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.1/10 on IMDb. Critics gave it a 75% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. After averaging scores from Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic, and Letterboxd, the film sits at about 69.8 out of 100 a generally positive result for a big popcorn movie.
What Are Real Viewers Saying?
- Allison Rose from FlickDirect said the pacing was a bit uneven, with some scenes dragging and others moving too fast, noting that the 2-hour-plus runtime could have been trimmed down.
- Kat Hughes from THN called the music “dazzling at every turn” and said the score might be this year’s Guardians of the Galaxy — but added there wasn’t quite enough screen time for fan-favorite Cringer/Battle Cat.
- Older fans who grew up with the 1980s cartoon praised Jared Leto’s Skeletor as a standout, saying he perfectly balanced humor and genuine villainy.
Box Office A Tough Opening
This one stings a little. Masters of the Universe cost $170 million to produce and opened to just $29.43 million domestically. Its $24.65 million international debut was similarly soft, giving it a global opening under $55 million putting it behind the domestic openings of known underperformers like John Carter and Prince of Persia.
Amazon MGM remained hopeful, with the studio saying Travis Knight and the cast “delivered something truly special” and that the theatrical run would build awareness ahead of its streaming release on Amazon Prime.
Final Thoughts
Both films are worth your time, just for very different reasons.
Disclosure Day is Spielberg doing what no one else in Hollywood can do making you feel wonder, fear, and emotion all at once. If you love great cinema, this is a must-watch.
Masters of the Universe won’t change the world, but it’s a joyful, loud, colorful adventure that clearly loves its source material. If you grew up watching He-Man on Saturday mornings, you’ll have a great time and Jared Leto as Skeletor is worth the ticket alone.
