Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller “Disclosure Day” made first contact with theaters on Friday and landed at No. 1 on the box office charts.
“Disclosure Day” made $19 million on opening day from 3,824 North American theaters. It’s expected to gross $44 million by the end of the weekend. Universal spent $115 million on the sci-fi thriller, meaning it will need to stick around in theaters for weeks to reach profitability.
Emily Blunt stars in “Disclosure Day” as meteorologist Margaret Fairchild, who becomes tangled in a plot to expose a mass government cover-up of extraterrestrial life. Other cast members include Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo and Wyatt Russell.
Miraculously, Focus Features’ “Obsession” shot back up to second place in its fifth Friday in theaters, adding $6.2 million. By Sunday, the indie horror is expected to make another $21 million, pushing its domestic earnings to a whopping $190 million. “Obsession,” directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, cost around $1 million to produce.
“Scary Movie” took third with $4.8 million domestically as it entered its second weekend in North American theaters. By Sunday, it should collect $14.6 million (a 73% drop from its opening), pushing the parody film’s domestic haul to $84.69 million. Miramax only spent $30 million on “Scary Movie,” meaning it’s already a hit for the studio.
“Scary Movie” sees the return of franchise masterminds the Wayans Brothers, who have been absent from the series since 2001’s “Scary Movie 2.” Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. star while Craig Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans co-wrote the script with Rick Alvarez. Anna Faris and Regina Hall also reprise their original “Scary Movie” roles as Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks.
Fourth place on Friday went to A24’s “Backrooms,” which earned an estimated $4.8 million domestic on its third Friday in cinemas. By the end of the weekend, rivals project the horror film will add $12 million, pushing its North American total to about $160 million.
Finally, in fifth place was Amazon MGM’s “Masters of the Universe,” which plummeted to $2.4 million on its second Friday of release. By Sunday, it’s expected to gross $9.2 million, which represents a 69% drop from its debut. The sci-fi actioner cost about $200 million to produce.
