Steven Spielberg Tells Hollywood to Make Original Movies as ‘Disclosure Day’ Hits CinemaCon

They’re here.

Steven Spielberg premiered a new trailer at CinemaCon on Wednesday for “Disclosure Day,” his return to summer blockbuster filmmaking after a decade mostly spent making personal dramas (“The Fabelmans”) and prestige fare (“West Side Story”). The film’s plot has been shrouded in secrecy, but it involves visitors from another planet. That’s a genre that has been good to Spielberg over the years, one that’s seen him make classics such as “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and hits like his remake of “War of the Worlds.”

Here he’s supported by a starry cast that includes Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo. David Koepp, who penned “Jurassic Park,” wrote the script. Spielberg called the sci-fi premise as “closer to truth” than you might think.

“I’ve been curious ever since I was a little kid with what was happening in the night sky,” Spielberg said.

He noted that there has been increasing evidence that unidentified flying objects are real, referencing a 2017 report in the New York Times on the government’s efforts to get to the bottom of the different sightings.

“The world became more accepting of the fact that we probably are not alone,” Spielberg said. That certainty has only grown since he made “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” that intelligent life is out there.

“I believe this movie is going to answer questions and this movie is going to cause a lot of people to ask a lot of questions,” Spielberg said of “Disclosure Day.” “All you need to get from beginning to end is a seat belt,” he added.

At CinemaCon, Motion Picture Association Chief Charlie Rivkin presented a visibly emotional Spielberg, who got a standing ovation upon taking the stage, with a “one-time honor, the America 250 award,” which was followed by a conversation between Domingo and his “Disclosure Day” director. It marks Spielberg’s first visit to CinemaCon.

“I promise you this will not be my last,” Spielberg promised.

He also argued that movies need to be in theaters for longer before debuting on home entertainment platforms, praising Universal for its recent decision to increase the number of days its films are in cinemas to 45.

“Audiences will find what they want to watch, whether the films are big or small, but studios need to help us by greatly expanding the exclusive windows like Donna Langley just did,” Spielberg said to loud applause. “Today I’ve got to be greedy. Do I hear 60 days? Do I hear 120 days?”

“Disclosure Day” is scheduled to be released in the United States by Universal Pictures on June 12.

Universal shared the creepy footage from “Disclosure Day” as part of its presentation to theater owners at CinemaCon. The studio also shared trailers and first looks from Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” “Minions and Monsters” and “Focker-In-Law.”

Spielberg stressed that studios like Universal need to keep investing in original films.

“If all we make is known branded IP, we’re going to run out of gas,” Spielberg said. “There is nothing more important than giving the audience visual stories, and they can be in any form, but we need to tell more original stories.”