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Steven Spielberg’s latest sci-fi thriller, “Disclosure Day,” topped the box office this weekend, an encouraging sign for what could be a big summer for theaters.

The film, which stars Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor, brought in $44 million in the U.S. and Canada for a worldwide total of $92.9 million, according to studio estimates. The opening weekend totals beat box office analysts’ expectations of about $40 million to $50 million.

“Disclosure Day” is Spielberg’s latest alien-centric movie that charts a desperate race to show the world the truth about extraterrestrials.

The film, which had a production budget of about $115 million, was also scored by legendary composer and longtime Spielberg collaborator John Williams, who is now 94 years old.

Spielberg described the film in April as “way closer to truth than fiction” during a speech at the CinemaCon trade convention in Las Vegas. The veteran director of 1977’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” 1982’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and 2005’s “War of the Worlds” said at the time that he’s been curious about “what’s going on in the night” since he was a child and “been very fixated on the possibilities.”

Focus Features’ “Obsession” came in second at the box office with a domestic haul of $19 million, a continuation of the film’s strong run in theaters.

“Scary Movie,” “Backrooms” and “Masters of the Universe” rounded out the top five at the box office.

Recent box office performance — particularly with Gen Z hits “Obsession” and A24’s “Backrooms” — along with a slate of upcoming blockbuster franchise installments has buoyed the hopes of exhibitors and studio executives for a strong summer.

Next week, Walt Disney Co. and Pixar will release “Toy Story 5,” while Warner Bros.’ DC Studios has “Supergirl” landing in late June.

Universal Pictures and Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters,” Disney’s live-action “Moana,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” are all slated for July.

That steady cadence of new and different films is key for a healthy box office and a successful summer, said Daniel Loria, editorial director at the Box Office Co.

“We’re seeing that momentum come back on a weekend-by-weekend basis,” he said. “What we needed to get back to a healthy industry post-pandemic is consistency, and that’s the difference here in 2026.”

When Steven Gerrard reflects on the 2005 Champions League final, he calls it the best night of his life., external

But just two months later, he announced he was leaving Liverpool – before dramatically changing his mind overnight.

During a Netflix documentary about the Reds’ success in Istanbul, Gerrard acknowledges he was in a “bad place” mentally, with a head like “a box of frogs”.

And he says criticism from then manager Rafael Benitez contributed to his potential departure from his boyhood club.

In May 2005, Gerrard captained Liverpool to perhaps the most famous victory in their storied history as they came from 3-0 down at half-time against AC Milan to win on penalties and clinch the club’s fifth European Cup.

It was a moment fans hoped would convince Gerrard to commit his future to Liverpool amid interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid and Premier League champions Chelsea, who were managed at the time by Jose Mourinho.

Six weeks later, Gerrard announced he was leaving. Then he wasn’t.

“Mourinho was on the phone – the best manager in the world at the time, offering silly contracts, which would naturally turn your head. Chelsea were spending fortunes, he was guaranteed success there,” he says.

“I can’t park my relationship with Liverpool. When they came, I didn’t know which way to go. Mentally, I was in a bad place. My head was like a box of frogs.”

Benitez’s demeanour didn’t help.

“I felt like he didn’t rate me, he didn’t trust me, he didn’t want me,” says Gerrard, 45.

“I’ve always been clear that I want to be a Liverpool player and a Liverpool player only, but with that doubt and with that coldness and being part of a team where you don’t believe that you can compete at the top, that’s when your head gets turned.”

Gerrard’s former team-mate Jamie Carragher feels Gerrard “probably needed an arm round his shoulder”.

“Rafa Benitez was never going to do that,” says the Sky Sports pundit. “He’s very unemotional.”

Throughout the documentary, former players describe how Benitez’s criticism and obsession with granular tactical detail sometimes jarred.

Gerrard, in particular, felt that.

“My game… was about emotion, passion, desire, commitment, for the badge, for the [Liver] bird, for the family,” he says. “It was in me and I felt like he wanted to really remodel me.

“Nothing would ever satisfy him.”

Benitez, 66, defends his approach.

“When I joined Liverpool, there was a culture based on emotion,” he says. “Football requires more than that. If you’re really emotional, you don’t find the way to success.”

Time has been a healer – and Gerrard is now able to appreciate the Spaniard’s methods.

“I look back at Rafa and think he’s the best coach I have worked with,” he says.