Hollywood Weekly: Spielberg Opens Big, DOJ Clears the Mega-Merger, and Beckham Gets His Star

The summer box office just got a lot more interesting, Hollywood's last major labor contract moved one step closer to the finish line, and a $111 billion mega-merger got the green light from Washington. Here's everything that mattered in entertainment this week (June 8–14, 2026).

Steven Spielberg's UFO thriller Disclosure Day — his first popcorn blockbuster in eight years — opened to an estimated $44 million domestically this weekend, with Friday alone pulling $19 million (including $6.5M in Thursday previews). 1 Globally, the film is tracking toward roughly $93.9 million for the weekend. That makes it Spielberg's best-ever domestic debut for an original feature, surpassing Jurassic Park's $47M record. Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor star; critics gave it strong reviews and audiences a B CinemaScore — solid, if not spectacular, for a $115M production. The old master hasn't lost his touch.

Here's how this weekend's domestic chart shook out:

If Disclosure Day is the story of Spielberg returning to form, Obsession is the story that won't go away. Curry Barker's breakout horror film added another $21 million in its fifth weekend — declining just 17 percent — to push its domestic total past $190 million. 1 That's four consecutive weekends bigger than its opening ($17.2M), a near-impossible feat at the modern multiplex. Focus Features now has its all-time biggest movie at home and abroad. The film is inching toward Blair Witch Project territory — and at this rate, $200M domestic is when, not if.

The Directors Guild of America's national board voted unanimously to recommend ratification of its new four-year contract with the major studios. 2 The full membership vote runs through June 25, just ahead of the June 30 contract expiration. DGA President Christopher Nolan (yes, that Christopher Nolan) called the committee's work "outstanding" in his member memo. Key wins: a nearly 25 percent boost in employer health plan contributions over the deal's life, wages up 2.5% in year one and 3% in years two through four, and — most notably — language establishing that AI-generated footage falls under the director's creative purview. Studios must now tell directors upfront if AI use is expected on a job, and they must get the guild's sign-off before licensing a member's work to train commercial AI systems. The deal also sets limits on vanity directing credits and funds a skills enhancement program for members transitioning into AI workflows.

The Justice Department signed off on David Ellison's $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on Friday, June 12, clearing the last major regulatory hurdle in the US. 3 The deal values WBD at $31 per share. European film and TV trade groups had raised concerns about consolidated market power — Paramount CEO Ellison has pledged to raise the combined company's theatrical output to 30 releases annually. The EU review is still ongoing, and a ticking fee of $0.25 per share per quarter kicks in after September 30 if the deal hasn't closed. Hollywood's biggest corporate reshuffling in a generation is almost done.

David Beckham received the 2,849th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 12, with Tom Cruise and Victoria Beckham both delivering speeches at the ceremony outside TCL Chinese Theatre. 4 The timing was no coincidence — LA is deep in World Cup mode, with matches at SoFi Stadium drawing celebrity audiences all week. Three of the Beckhams' children attended. Cruise, characteristically, showed up and somehow made it about Tom Cruise. No notes.

A federal court ruled Friday that Justin Baldoni must pay Blake Lively's legal fees after she prevailed as a defendant under California's anti-harassment law — but she won't get the compensatory or punitive damages she also sought. 5 Judge Lewis Liman found the California statute "does not create an end run around the entire set of carefully crafted federal procedural rules." Lively's team called the ruling a vindication; Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman pointed out she "demanded over $300 million in fees and damages, had 10 of her 13 claims dismissed, then chose to settle and received nothing." The exact fee amount is still to be assessed. Both sides claimed victory, which means neither side fully won — classic courtroom draw.

Netflix's global movie chart this week is topped by Office Romance, a Jennifer Lopez rom-com that's been a quiet hit across multiple markets. 6 On the TV side, Korean drama Teach You a Lesson holds #1, while Michael Jackson: The Verdict sits at #3 globally — proving true-crime docuseries about pop icons can run for weeks. Sweet Magnolias Season 5 dropped Friday and immediately landed at #5. Coming up fast: House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres June 21 on Max, and The Bear Season 5 (its final) hits Hulu June 25.

Disney confirmed that Chris Sanders — the co-creator and original voice of Stitch — will direct the live-action sequel to Lilo & Stitch. 7 Producer Jonathan Eirich is returning. The sequel was greenlit on "626 Day" last June after the live-action original crossed $1 billion worldwide. Sanders hadn't directed a feature since The Call of the Wild (2020); having him back in the director's chair for a franchise he literally invented is the rare sequel news that actually sounds encouraging.

Two legacy properties moved forward this week. The Netflix Peaky Blinders sequel series added Conleth Hill (Varys on Game of Thrones) and Lucie Shorthouse to its cast, alongside returning stars Ned Dennehy and Packy Lee. 8 Separately, the Romy and Michele's High School Reunion sequel is officially in production at Hulu — Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino are back, and original costume designer Mona May returned to dress them. 9 Both reunions are decades in the making; hope neither one takes the "Legacy Sequel" warning label lightly.

The 2026 Emmy nominations will be announced Wednesday, July 8 at 8:30 a.m. PT / 11:30 a.m. ET. 10 The ceremony airs September 14. With The Bear wrapping up, House of the Dragon returning, Andor having had its best season, and the Michael Jackson trial doc racking up viewership, this year's race is genuinely wide open. We'll break down the nominees once they drop.

Toy Story 5 — with Taylor Swift's original song "I Knew It, I Knew You" on the soundtrack — hits theaters next Friday. After Swift surprised the world premiere crowd at the Dolby Theatre on June 9, audience anticipation has been high. The summer's biggest animated film doesn't just have to compete with Disclosure Day — it has to follow Obsession proving that audiences will still show up for something they've never seen before. Woody and Buzz have their work cut out.