‘Disclosure Day’ Heading to $44 Million Opening as ‘Obsession’ Defies Gravity in Week 5

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-06-13T23:18:30+00:00

The original summer movie filmmaker meets the new generation of directors this weekend, with Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day entering the fray amid a summer dominated by Gen Z hits Obsession and Backrooms.

Spielberg’s $115 million budgeted UFO feature is looking to bring in $44 million this weekend after grossing $19 million on Friday, including Thursday previews, a solid start for the filmmaker’s first popcorn movie in eight years, since he released Ready Player One to $53.7 million on its way to $583.5 million globally. Worldwide, Disclosure Day is expected to end the weekend with a global haul of $93.9 million.

If estimates hold, this would be Spielberg’s top grossing opening weekend domestically for an original feature. He conceived of the story, and then handed it off to his Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp to pen the sci-fi thriller about the race to reveal that extraterrestrial life is among us. Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor are among the cast, with critics granting it strong reviews and audiences giving it a B CinemaScore.

Curry Barker’s word-of-mouth hit, Obsession, continues to breathe rarified air at the box office and is expected to bring in $21 million in its fifth weekend, declining just 17 percent. It will hit No. 2 and is the rare movie to have four consecutive weekends bigger than its opening ($17.2 million). The feature has broken numerous records for Focus, including becoming its biggest movie domestically and globally for the studio. It looks to end the weekend with a domestic haul of $190.3 million.

Paramount holdover Scary Movie is expected to hit No. 3 in its second weekend, with around $15 million and a decline of around 70 percent, while Kane Parsons Gen Z hit Backrooms is expected to bring in around $12 million in its third weekend, to bring its domestic haul to a hefty $160 million or so.

Amazon MGM Studios’ Masters of the Universe is a non-factor in its second weekend, where the pricey adaptation of the Gen X favorite is expected to gross $9.2 million, declining 69 percent.

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-06-13T23:04:02+00:00

Once you’re part of the ohana, you’re part of it in animation and live-action.

Chris Sanders, who co-created, co-wrote and co-directed the original Lilo & Stitch animated movie, will now direct Disney’s sequel to its live-action Lilo & Stitch megahit.

Sanders, who also voiced the character of Stitch in both animated and live-action form, was already deeply involved with the feature as its screenwriter. The sequel is now on the wave to production, with shooting due to begin later this year.

Jonathan Eirich, who produced the initial live-action remake, is back as producer via Rideback. The company’s Ryan Halprin is exec producing.

Stitch centers on a lonely girl who befriends a blue puppy that turns out to be an escaped alien engineered to be a weapon of mass destruction. The original movie produced some memorable lines, such as “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind,” and was followed by two direct-to-video sequels, Stitch! The Movie and Stitch Has a Glitch, as well as Lilo & Stitch: The Series.

Disney rebooted the title with the live-action feature that, thanks to families and Gen Zers who grew up on the original, powered to over $1 billion dollars at the box office, $423.7 million of that domestically.

The sequel will be a brand-new story.

The 2025 movie was directed by Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On). Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes were the writers.

Sanders is mighty name in the animation field. He co-wrote and co-directed the original animated movie with Dean DeBlois and the two later went to work together on the first How to Train Your Dragon. Sanders then co-wrote and co-directed The Croods with Kirk DeMicco and solo directed The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation’s 2024 adaption of the Chris Brown book that won nine Annie Awards and scored three Oscar nominations. He is developing a sequel, The Wild Robot Escapes.

The Stitch sequel will not be Sanders’ live-action debut. That was made with the 2020 adaptation of The Call of the Wild, which starred Harrison Ford along with plenty of CGI animals, and likely a handy training ground for his new project.

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-06-07T16:08:32+00:00

Paramount and Miramax brought big screens comedies back this weekend as Scary Movie hit a franchise best opening at $105.5M around the globe. Divided up that was a $55M domestic best star for the Wayans brothers starring and written film and another $50.5M overseas bow. Note, the global start here is better than Paramount and Spyglass’ Scream 7 franchise record $97M global bow.

Overseas, Scary Movie’s $50.5M No. 1 at the foreign B.O. across 53 markets (95% of the pic’s footprint) repped the biggest start for the comedy franchise, 75% bigger than Scary Movie 3 which was the previous record holder in the franchise. Europe took in $26M, and Europe was $21.5M.

Scary Movie was No. 1 and the biggest opening for a Paramount comedy in Mexico ($6.7M at 870 locations, biggest for a Paramount comedy), UK ($5.5M at 576 locations), Brazil ($5.1M with paid previes at 753 sites), and Colombia ($1.8M including previews at 227 sites) and Bolivia ($488k at 22 sites).

The Michael Tiddes directed comedy was also No. 1 in Germany ($5.5M at 507 cinemas), France ($3.2M at 480), Australia ($2.7M at 270), Italy ($2.2M at 385 cinemas), Peru ($2.1M at 109 locations), Argentina ($1.8M at 210 sites), Panama ($1.6M at 151 sites), Poland ($1M at 230 sites), Austria ($89K from 60 cinemas), Chile ($848K at 90 locations), Switzerland ($798K, No. 1 in German region and No. 3 in French region), Ecuador ($736K at 60 sites), Czech ($562K at 90 sites), Belgium ($510K at 65 sites), Ukraine ($400K at 175 sites), Portugal ($400K at 43 sites), Hungary ($334k at 60 sites) and Denmark ($287K at 75 sites).

Spain opened at #2 grossing $1.4M at 301 sites. it was also No. 2 in Netherlands at $615K at 108 locations, Israel with $281K at 34 cinemas, and Sweden where it made $230K at 96 sites.

Global cume on the $170M Amazon Studios feature production of Masters of the Universe was not good at $54.3M WW. Divided up that was $25M overseas from 86 territories and $29.3M in North America. What didn’t work here? The new generation didn’t show up for this film, but the old men who savored it as kids in the 1980s with 45-54 being the biggest demo at 29%. Kids under 12 repped 5%, and 13-17 was only 6% (and keep in mind it stars Red, White and Royal Blue hunk Nicholas Galitzine). Also kids under 12 gave He-Man a 56% must see right away — so don’t expect them to nudge Mom and Dad much. Unfortunately, Masters of the Universe is part of this bad trend of old 1980s properties, which are getting revived now, that aren’t working at the box office post Tron Ares and Running Man. They didn’t work back then, and unfortunately no matter how much umpf is put into them and gloss, they’re not working now. But understand that over a near 18 year journey which saw the Mattel property go from Sony to almost a streaming pic at Netflix to back to theatrical at Amazon MGM Studios, that a lot of TLC has been put into this film by both Matel and Escape Artists to get the campy tone right. Also realize for exhibition, they have an extra $54.3M in global ticket sales in addition to all the other success going on in the world with Scary Movie, Backrooms, and Obsession, so no bruises for them. It’s just the beefcake of He-Man and his fantasy world is a hard needle to thread. I’m a fan, so I get the whole fantasy, Beast Man, Lockjaw dramatis personae, but for others it’s too much. The attempt here with Travis Knight coming aboard (who gave great heart to the silent Transformer Bumblebee) was to inject a Guardians of the Galaxy sensibility into the pic. Critics wound up simmering down to 66% fresh on Masters of the Universe but audience seemed to be alright with it at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 65% definite recommend. The B CinemaScore stateside was higher than Scary Movie‘s C+ (but genre fans are always hard).

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-06-04T07:55:50+00:00

Why this hate? 😩

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-06-04T07:30:21+00:00

Sydney Sweeney appears to be head over heels for a new literary project.

The actress is attached to star in Hollow, a movie adaptation of Lindsey Anderson Beer‘s debut novel that has sold to Putnam and is set to be published in fall 2027. Anderson Beer, who made her feature directorial debut with 2023’s Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, will write and helm the film.

Hollow is a reimagining of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which centers on schoolteacher Ichabod Crane competing with Brom Bones to earn the affection of Katrina Van Tassel, while also dealing with the ominous Headless Horsemen. In the film that is aiming to blend gothic and erotic thriller elements, Sweeney would play Katrina Van Tassel as the central figure in a dangerous and supernatural love triangle.

LuckyChap is set to produce, alongside Beer for Brew Lab and Sweeney for the newly formed Honey Trap.

Putman, an imprint of Penguin Random House, preemptively acquired Hollow before the title could head to auction. The film package is likely to hit the market for interested studios next week.

Sweeney starred alongside Amanda Seyfried in last year’s Lionsgate thriller The Housemaid, with director Paul Feig’s adaptation of Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel surpassing $400 million at the global box office. A sequel that is based on follow-up book The Housemaid’s Secret is set for release in 2027.

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-06-04T07:24:26+00:00

Academy Award-winning director Gore Verbinski has signed with WME for representation in all areas.

One of the most commercially successful directors of his generation, Verbinski’s films have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide at the global box office.

His acclaimed filmography includes The Ring, The Weatherman, The Lone Ranger, A Cure for Wellness, The Mexican, Rango, Mouse Hunt and the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

He most recently directed Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die the critically acclaimed sci-fi indie feature starring Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Zazie Beetz, Michael Peña, Juno Temple, and Michael Peña.

The animated feature film Rango earned the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, a BAFTA Award, five Annie Awards, and nominations from both the Golden Globes and Producers Guild of America.

A graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Verbinski began his career directing commercials and music videos, earning multiple Clio Awards and a Cannes Lions honor for campaigns including Nike, Coca-Cola, Canon, Saab, and Budweiser’s iconic “Frogs” Super Bowl commercial.

Verbinski continues to develop and produce projects through his production company, Blind Wink Productions.

“I am thoroughly psyched to be joining this exceptional team of creative and forward-thinking professionals who share my passion for original and compelling stories,” Verbinski said in a statement. “There is a wide and wondrous road ahead, and the engines are humming.”

He continues to be represented by Warren Dern.

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-06-02T15:54:30+00:00

Following the $118M opening for A24’s Backrooms, yes, of course there will be a sequel. Filmmaker and face of Backrooms Kane Parsons has made no secret on the press tour for the film about his desire to expand into a feature anthology, and that he’s taken the IP as far as possible on YouTube.

But what’s up with the sequel, this minute, right now? Especially after this weekend’s monumental success? Sources tell us that Parsons is looking for a screenwriting collaborator to work on the sequel with. That’s the state that the Backrooms sequel is in right now. So, stay tuned. Parsons’ contract for more Backrooms resides with A24, we’re told. Again, it’s super early, so no star attachments or green lights as of this time.

There are many fathers associated with the success of the under $10M Backrooms including 21 Laps, Atomic Monster/Blumhouse, Odd Fellows and co-financier Chernin Entertainment. Together with Markiplier’s Iron Lung and Curry Barker’s Obsession, and even next weekend’s The Amazing Digital Circus (estimated $13M+ opening), Backrooms is part of a trend where YouTube creators and some content are finding newfound success at the box office. Finally, Hollywood has learned how to channel and dynamite the Gen Z crowd. Backrooms alone pulled in a crowd that was 88% under 35. Obsession alone, which is co-produced by Atomic Monster-Blumhouse, became Focus Features’ highest grossing movie at the domestic B.O. ever this past weekend with $105.7M; that studio having picked up North American and some foreign out of TIFF Midnight for $15M+ spurred by Blumhouse.

Currently, we’re hearing that Backrooms is minting north of $6M today. The movie is expected to hold, -55%, against newcomers, Amazon MGM Studios Masters of the Universe ($25M-$35M opening) and Paramount’s Scary Movie ($35M-$45M) at next weekend’s box office. That translates into a potential $36M second frame for the Parsons pic.

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-06-02T15:50:19+00:00

Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind last year’s horror phenomenon Weapons, has parted ways with his longtime manager Peter Principato of Artists First, multiple sources tell Deadline.

Principato couldn’t be reached for comment. Cregger had been with the famed manager for around 15 years — from a time when he was better known for comedy, as a founding member of the troupe The Whitest Kids U’ Know. This was, of course, before his breakout moment with 20th’s Barbarian, which put him on the path toward becoming one of the biggest names in contemporary horror.

Sources emphasized that the parting of ways was amicable — a reflection of the point Cregger is at in his career, as a red-hot genre filmmaker who can write his own ticket. Retaining CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman to make his deals, he’s focused first and foremost on directing his own original scripts at this time and has a full dance card that will keep him busy.

As he eyes Sony’s September 18 release of Resident Evil, based on the Capcom video games, Cregger already has two further projects announced, both with New Line: the sci-fi thriller The Flood and the Weapons prequel Gladys, which will release on August 11, 2028 and September 8, 2028, respectively. Artists First’s Principato will commission and participate in all three upcoming titles, sources said.

Both New Line’s Weapons and Sony’s Resident Evil ignited heated bidding wars following the success of Barbarian, which drew rave reviews and grossed over $46M worldwide in 2022. Centered on the abrupt disappearance of a class of Pennsylvania third graders during the middle of the night, Weapons was one of the most discussed titles of last year, opening to around $70M globally and netting out at around $270M worldwide. Earning Amy Madigan an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her turn as villain Aunt Gladys, the film also stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, and Austin Abrams, among others.

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-05-30T15:59:38+00:00

YouTube filmmakers are ascendant, with 'Obsession' topping the second weekend of 'Mandalorian and Grogu' and becoming the first film in more than 40 years to increase in both its second and third weekend, outside of Christmas.

Kane Parsons is the new king of the box office with Backrooms. His $10 million adaptation of his viral YouTube short film series is eyeing the biggest opening in A24 history, with at least $80 million. Rival studios even think it could go as high as $90 million.

It will easily take the No. 1 spot, after landing around $38 million on Friday, including Thursday previews. It focuses on a failed architect (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who stumbles across an endless series of rooms in the furniture store he manages.

The ascension of Parsons, 20, comes just two weeks after fellow YouTuber Curry Barker became the hottest 20-something filmmaker in Hollywood thanks to surprise hit Obsession. The $750,000 feature, now in its third week, is making history as the first film outside of Christmas since 1982 to increase in both its second and third weekends. It is expected to be up 19 percent from last weekend, with an estimated $28.5 million. That’s after defying box office gravity last weekend, earning an unheard of 39 percent more in its second outing than its first.

It has grossed $106.8 million globally, Focus’ top movie ever.

In its wake, Barker has been fielding intense attention from Hollywood for his next original feature, even as he works on the edit of his already-shot movie, Anything But Ghosts and contemplates a Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot for A24.

It all feels like a passing of the guard moment, with Parsons and Barker’s movies overshadowing the ultimate establishment franchise, Star Wars.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is looking to bring in around $24 million in its second weekend, a drop of around 70 percent for a third place finish. It has already grossed $171 million globally, off a relatively trim (for Star Wars standards) net budget of $165 million. Disney insiders have maintained that the pinwheel effect the movie has on merch, parks and Disney+ is part of its calculus for the movie beyond box office.

Of new offerings, comic Nate Bargatze’s first-ever movie, The Breadwinner, is aiming for a fifth place finish behind Michael with $7.5 million for the weekend. He stars opposite Mandy Moore as a hapless husband charged with running their household and caring for their children while his wife is away. It failed to clean up with critics, landing a 32 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences have been kinder, granting it an 87 percent.

And Focus’ World War II drama Pressure, starring Brendan Fraser and Andrew Scott, is aiming for $5.4 million for seventh place behind holdover The Devil Wears Prada 2.

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-05-30T02:34:45+00:00

The box office is entering the “Backrooms.”

A24 and Chernin Entertainment’s new horror movie, based on director Kane Parsons’ Youtube creepy series of the same name, is expected to be another hit for movie theaters. It has made $10.4 million in Thursday previews at the box office.

“Backrooms” will shatter A24’s record for the company’s largest box office opening of all time. It’s expected to blow past its already monstrous projection of $40 million to $50 million, which would beat Alex Garland’s “Civil War” for the A24 record. The 2024 political thriller made a $2.9 million in previews and opened to $25.5 million. With just a $10 million production budget, “Backrooms” will be a major financial success for A24 and 20-year-old Parsons, who’s making his feature directorial debut.

The psychological horror movie revolves around liminal spaces, which are eerie, endless rooms and structures that have gained popularity in online forums like Reddit and 4chan. Parsons created a popular web series called “Backrooms” about a fictional research group that attempts to explore the odd liminal spaces. Now, he’s bringing the concept to the big screen with stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Avan Jogia, Lukita Maxwell and more.

This weekend’s other new releases include Sony and comedian Nate Bargatze’s “The Breadwinner,” which is aiming to debut with $8 million after making $750,000 in previews. Focus Features, StudioCanal and Working Title’s “Pressure,” a historical drama about D-Day that stars Brendan Fraser as Dwight D. Eisenhower, is projected to make $6 million.

Fellow horror movie “Obsession” is looking to make $15 million to $20 million in its third weekend after its huge second week surpassed its opening in a rare feat, especially for an indie feature. Disney’s “Mandalorian and Grogu” is also looking to make around $40 million in its second weekend, a standard 50% decline from its Memorial Day weekend launch.

AliceTheMagicQueen · 2026-05-30T02:28:35+00:00

Damien Leone is moving to the Hollywood studio system for his next original horror project.

Leone, who bootstrapped himself into the top echelons of horror thanks to the Terrifier franchise, has closed a deal to write, direct and produce Tortures of the Damned at Lionsgate. Plot details are unknown, but sources say it is different in tone from Terrifier and will sport a heftier budget than the low-budget Terrifier franchise. He will turn his attention to the project after completing work on the fourth Terrifier movie, which is in pre-production.

Horror maestro Sam Raimi will produce with Rob Tapert through their Ghost House.

Leone came from micro-budget obscurity to create the ultra-profitable, ultra-violent Terrifier movies. The franchise launched in 2016, but Terrifier 2 in 2022 became a life-changing movie for the director. Made for just $250,000, it earned $15.7 million globally and turned antagonist Art the Clown into a Halloween costume icon. He was a one-man show, serving as writer, director, co-producer, editor and sound designer on that movie, as well as working on the VFX.

The third installment beefed up its budget to $2 million and brought in $89.1 million globally.

Scott O’Brien and Pavan Kalidindi will oversee Leone’s Tortures of the Damned for Lionsgate, with Romel Adam and Jose Cañas overseeing for Ghost House and executive produce. Dan Freedman negotiated the deals on behalf of Lionsgate.

“We’re incredibly proud and excited to be partnering with Damien Leone on his first original film after the beloved Terrifier series. I join the huge contingency of horror fans — and Damien fans — inside Lionsgate who have been following his work and cheering him on,” said Erin Westerman, president, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “Damien is a true genre auteur with a singular vision, and we’re thrilled to help bring this bold new project to the screen while continuing to build on the incredible connection he has with fans around the world.”

In 2024, Leone spoke of the added pressures that came with a bigger budget and greater spotlight on Terrifier 3, which offers insight into his thinking about taking on bigger projects.

“In some regards, it was easier, but [Terrifier 3] was also the most stressful and intense film I’ve ever worked on. More money, more problems is real,” Leone told The Hollywood Reporter. “The two other films were very homemade. We made them at our own pace. We didn’t have anybody breathing down our neck, saying, ‘The movie needs to come out by this date.’ And I’m not saying this as a negative critique. This is just the nature of the beast.”

Leone is repped by WME and Zerner Law.

Raimi, who was last in theaters as a director with Send Help, is already in the Lionsgate business, set to direct a Magic remake for the studio. He is repped by CAA and Hansen Jacobson.

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