A blockbuster weekend reshapes global box office

'Disclosure Day' tops North America charts as 'The Devil Wears Prada' crosses $1b and 'Michael' closes in on hi

LOS ANGELES:

Steven Spielberg's sci-fi thriller 'Disclosure Day' has stormed to the top of the North American box office with a $44 million debut, anchoring a weekend defined by major franchise milestones and record-breaking global performances from 'The Devil Wears Prada' and the Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael'.

Released in cinemas across the United States and Canada, 'Disclosure Day' secured first place in industry estimates, marking a strong commercial return for Spielberg to large-scale science fiction.

The film, led by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor, follows an investigation into a decades-long cover-up of extraterrestrial visitations, reimagined through the lens of a modern AI-driven and social media-saturated world.

Industry analyst David A Gross described the opening as a "very good start for an original sci-fi thriller," while noting that its long-term performance would depend on audience retention.

"Reception is very good, but with Steven Spielberg, many people want great," he said, pointing to high expectations surrounding the director's return to the genre he helped define with films such as 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and 'E.T.'.

While Spielberg's latest led the weekend chart, attention across the wider industry was equally fixed on two major global milestones: the fashion franchise 'The Devil Wears Prada' crossing the $1 billion mark worldwide, and the Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' moving closer to the same threshold after reaching $932 million globally.

'The Devil Wears Prada 2' has now driven the franchise past $1 billion in total box office earnings when combined with the original 2006 film. According to reported figures, the sequel alone has collected $676 million after seven weeks in cinemas, powered by strong international performance and renewed audience interest in the returning ensemble cast.

Directed by David Frankel and featuring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, the sequel has outperformed expectations across multiple territories, with the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany among its strongest overseas markets. Its success has reinforced Disney's dominant position at the 2026 box office and highlighted the continuing commercial strength of legacy franchises.

Meanwhile, 'Michael', directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as his uncle Michael Jackson, has continued its rapid climb toward the billion-dollar club. The film, which chronicles Jackson's rise from his early career with the Jackson 5 to global superstardom, has become one of the highest-grossing music biopics of all time.

With $358.6 million from North America and $553.3 million internationally, 'Michael' has already surpassed 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to become the top-grossing music biopic globally. It also ranks as the second-highest-grossing biopic overall, behind Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer', and remains one of the year's strongest international performers.

Industry observers note that its continued success has been driven by global audience appeal and renewed interest in Jackson's legacy, with strong theatrical performance in multiple overseas markets and ongoing VOD expansion expected to push it beyond the $1 billion mark.

Elsewhere on the North American chart, Focus Features' horror breakout 'Obsession' continued its exceptional run in second place with $19 million, bringing its domestic total to $188.3 million and global earnings to $286 million. Produced on a budget of under $1 million, the film has emerged as the studio's highest-grossing release ever.

Paramount's reboot of 'Scary Movie' took third place with $14.5 million, while A24's 'Backrooms' followed with $11.3 million, lifting its domestic total to $160 million and global earnings to more than $262 million.

At the lower end of the top 10, MGM's 'Masters of the Universe' suffered a steep 70% drop in its second weekend, earning just $8.7 million against a production budget exceeding $200 million, raising concerns over its box office viability.

Further down, 'Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu' earned $4.7 million, while 'Michael' added another $4.1 million domestically as it continues its global climb. 'BTS World Tour Arirang in Busan', 'The Furious' and 'Stop! That! Train' rounded out the chart.

Together, the weekend's results underline a divided global box office landscape, where established franchises and legacy intellectual property continue to dominate, while original horror and sci-fi titles still find strong audience traction.

As 'Disclosure Day' leads a competitive field, the simultaneous milestones of 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Michael' reflect a broader industry moment defined by nostalgia, franchise power and the enduring appeal of star-driven cinema on a global scale.