Any given era of movies doubles as a time capsule. 

With a number of startling public disclosures and congressional hearings since 2017, it’s no surprise film fans will soon experience two high-profile UFO movies. The topic—always fascinating yet routinely ridiculed—has gained unprecedented legitimacy in the last decade, priming audiences for new explorations. And who better to potentially relaunch this Hollywood trend of newsy adaptations than legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg and Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski?

Though Spielberg’s UFO picture has already begun filming while Kosinski’s has not begun casting, these two features are inextricably linked. Regardless of when the latter movie arrives in theaters, these dueling UFO films are reminiscent of 1998’s blockbuster battle between similarly themed Armageddon and Deep Impact.

Spielberg’s untitled alien movie – codenamed Non-View and rumored to be titled either The Dish or Disclosure – will be released by Universal Pictures on June 12th, 2026, marking the filmmaker’s first summer debut since 2016’s The BFG. Currently, the only major competition set for that same weekend is Scary Movie 6.

The film stems from a story by Spielberg and script by David Koepp, who wrote the original Jurassic Park and its upcoming continuation Jurassic World: Rebirth. UFO whistleblower Lue Elizondo, author of the 2024 book Disclosure, may serve as an advisor, according to New York Post journalist Steven Greenstreet. Greenstreet notes that producer Dan Farah, who put together the book deal for Ready Player One (Spielberg’s most successful recent box office hit) and Disclosure, directed an upcoming UFO documentary featuring Elizondo.

Spielberg has assembled an impressive cast for this one: Oscar nominee Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place) stars alongside Josh O’Connor (Challengers), Wyatt Russell (Thunderbolts*), Oscar nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Oscar winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) and Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters). 

Plot details are about as secretive as Area 51, but Universal has branded this as an “Untitled Event Movie” on its release calendar—a distinction the studio reserves exclusively for tentpole films. Given that and its prime summer release date, both Spielberg and Universal clearly aim to deliver a broadly appealing blockbuster. If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about making a commercially viable alien movie, it’s Spielberg. 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind earned $288 million worldwide across 1977-78, or over $1 billion in today’s dollars, becoming Columbia Pictures’ highest-grossing film at the time. In 1982, E.T. grossed $619 million globally, becoming the highest-grossing film ever—a feat Spielberg pulled off three separate times in his career. In 2005, War of the Worlds invaded multiplexes and collected more than $600 million. You’d be hard-pressed to find a stronger track record in alien films this side of James Cameron. 

Unfortunately, even less is known about Kosinski’s untitled UFO movie. We do know he’s reteaming with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, arguably the most successful action ambassador the big screen has ever seen. Zach Baylin (King Richard, Creed III) is penning the script, described as a “UFO disclosure-themed take on All the President’s Men.” That beloved 1976 journalism-fueled thriller followed reporters Bob Woodard and Carl Bernstein methodically uncovering the details of President Nixon’s Watergate scandal. 

Adding an extra layer of intrigue to the project: UFO whistleblower and former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer David Grusch, who claimed in 2023 that the government has secretly collected and studied "exotic" materials will serve as executive producer and consultant.

Amazon, Apple, Lionsgate, Paramount and Warner Bros. sparked a bidding war for the hot project, with Apple coming out on top thanks to the relationships built on F1, Kosinski and Bruckheimer’s upcoming Brad Pitt-led Formula 1 racing film. “Insiders are very high on that film, which will bow in June, and were eager to work again after the film finished production,” Deadline reports.

While Kosinski’s 2022 Netflix psychological thriller Spiderhead left a lot to be desired, Top Gun: Maverick (which grossed $1.5 billion) stands as a near perfect popcorn picture. The 2022 blockbuster marked the true return to theaters during the COVID era and doubled as a beacon of hope for a brow-beaten film industry, garnering Kosinski a ton of goodwill in Hollywood. Maverick may also tell us something about this mystery UFO feature. It’s likely no coincidence that the most viral unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) footage that came to light in recent years was captured by top navy pilots, who very likely double as the real life counterparts to Maverick, Goose and Ice Man. A feature film that dramatizes the real-life experiences of these pilots, juxtaposing the high-octane first aerial contact with the slow orderly drip of public disclosure, would be a fresh approach to a familiar genre.

Based on available information (admittedly limited), Kosinski’s film appears positioned to take a grounded look at what we do and don’t understand about alien life and governmental transparency while Spielberg’s venture may deliver a bombastic blockbuster romp. But can either film truly revitalize the box office and reignite public fascination with this genre? 

Recent history suggests that alien and space-themed films maintain a reliably high box office floor. From 2021-2024, at least two non-Marvel, DC and Star Wars films set in space and/or centered on alien plotlines have ranked among the top 15 highest domestic grossers each year. During that period, 11 movies in this category have grossed at least $100 million in the U.S. When including Marvel, DC and Star Wars to the mix, that number rises considerably. 

Alien movies also significantly contribute to streaming platform success. From Q1 2020 to Q4 2024 across major streaming services (Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, Starz, HBO Max/Max, Peacock, Paramount+ and Apple TV+), the sub-genre generated a measured quarterly average of $132.1 million in subscriber revenue, according to Parrot Analytics’ Streaming Economics model. (This data excludes superhero films, Star Wars and Godzilla/King Kong franchises, and other tangentially related properties). In that time, alien movies accounted for a strong 3.5% demand share of all movies, per Parrot data. 

M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs (2002), which grossed more than $400 million worldwide, debuted at a time of renewed interest in crop circles and supernatural events. Similarly, in the 1990s, successful money-making alien invasion films such as 1996’s Independence Day and 1997’s Men in Black cropped up in lockstep with rising UFO reporting and bubbling Y2K fears. Both films helped launch and establish Will Smith as a true blue movie star while ushering in a new era of effects-driven genre blockbusters, a trend the industry still embraces to this day. The fact that both franchises were still alive (though not always well) 15-20 years after their first installments speaks volumes about the contemporary summer blockbuster strategy. 

Does this guarantee that the upcoming UFO films from Spielberg and Kosinski will be crowd-pleasing blockbusters? No, of course not. However, it does suggest that the legitimate recent focus on alien life—including congressional hearings, Pentagon reports, and mainstream media coverage—may inspire a wide variety of movies tackling this subject from various perspectives. 

Responding to the news cycle is one way Hollywood has always tried to remain relevant and timely. When handled with care and creativity, this approach can produce highly impactful and successful movies that define entire years. With masters like Spielberg returning to familiar territory and rising stars like Kosinski blending genres, audiences may be treated not just to two competing success stories, but potentially to the start of a new era in science fiction cinema—one that embodies our growing understanding of the universe and the alternately scintillating and terrifying prospect that we are not alone.