Review: 2026 is a huge year for cinema with an incredible slate of films set to hit theatres. One of those films is Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day.
Spielberg is the man behind some of the world’s most beloved films. He brought us Jaws, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And while many of his films are critically acclaimed, his latest project is dividing audiences.
Steven Spielberg's name alone is enough to get audiences to cinemas, but people are divided over his latest project. Universal Pictures
It seems that no one can agree on Disclosure Day.
Many reviews claim the film is a misfire with a flimsy script that stumbles at the finish line. Some praise the film for providing stunning visuals and a career-best performance from Emily Blunt.
Others have chosen to dissect the film's message; is it simply an exploration of what could happen if we were to discover the cover-up of extraterrestrial life, or does it delve deeper into the effect such a revelation would have on the fabric of religion and our understanding of empathy?
Personally, I fit into the category of Disclosure Day lover. The film delivered typical Spielberg spectacle and craftsmanship, as usual, exploring the relationship between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
But what this film lacks compared to others from Spielberg’s catalogue is a neatly wrapped ending with a bow placed on top.
Without giving anything away, the end of this film is ambiguous. It’s open to interpretation and designed to make audiences think not just about the resolution of the film, but their own relationship with the subject.
As studios have struggled more and more to get audiences to theatres since the pandemic, they’ve begun to take smaller swings.
Over recent years, we’ve adjusted to easily digestible films. We’ve seen countless remakes, unnecessary sequels, and movies designed to be low-effort viewing in the age of a second-long attention span.
Disclosure Day is none of those things. It’s a two-and-a-half-hour-long think piece, designed to draw the audience in and make them question what exactly they’re watching.
At bare minimum, Emily Blunt discovers an Oscar nomination for this performance. Universal Pictures
Some leave the cinema hopeful, wanting to better understand the people and the world around them. Others walk out with what can only be described as a feeling of existential dread.
And that’s exactly what Disclosure Day sets out to do. It’s not a film designed to desperately pander to mass audiences in the hopes of selling tickets. Instead, it’s designed to make its audience feel something, and if that means its reviews are divisive, then so be it.
Whether you love it or hate it, Disclosure Day is reminiscent of movies made pre-pandemic when theatres were alive and well, and creators were able to take bigger risks.
Disclosure Day is a complex story that viewers will need to engage in, not watch in the background while they're on their phones. Universal Pictures
While many (some might say most) recent projects were designed to spoon-feed audiences plot points and resolutions, Spielberg didn’t make Disclosure Day with a second screen in mind.
It’s an original concept, not designed to be enjoyed by mass audiences, but simply designed to be seen by mass audiences. It’s a return to cinema as an art form rather than a business, and even though the reviews are mixed, people are already flocking to cinemas to see it.
If nothing else, Disclosure Day proves the theory that 2026 is the year that what has recently been considered a dying industry begins its return to its golden age.
Love it or hate it, Disclosure Day is the desperate wake-up call passive viewers desperately need. Universal Pictures
With indie films Backrooms and Obsession smashing it at the box office, a new Spielberg and a new Christopher Nolan film set for release, plus the third installation in the Dune series and a new Avengers film set to hit screens, it might be safe to say that 2026 will go down in modern history as the year the blockbuster began its return.
© 2026 Nine Entertainment Co.
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