Steven Spielberg’s New Movie Can Easily Improve On His Divisive Sci-Fi With 72% On RT From 2018

Director Steven Spielberg recently announced that his next film would be “A UFO movie,” and hopefully, this new sci-fi project can make up for his most recent sci-fi film, Ready Player One, which received less-than-stellar reactions. The director’s upcoming UFO movie will be the 35th Steven Spielberg movie, and it certainly won’t be his first time making a science fiction movie, or a movie about aliens. Along with his touching dramas like The Fabelmans or his fantasy adventures like Hook, Spielberg is best known for sci-fi classics like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

The announcement that Steven Spielberg is returning to the sci-fi genre is exciting news, especially considering the last few years of his career. In 2022, Spielberg released a coming-of-age drama seemingly inspired by his own life called The Fabelmans. This film was well-received, and even earned seven Academy Award nominations. However, previous to The Fabelmans, Spielberg has lacked any major wins or successes. That isn’t to say his recent movies have been made in any way, but Steven Spielberg could definitely use an outstanding movie, and returning to sci-fi may just be the way to do it.

Steven Spielberg’s New UFO Movie Is His First Sci-Fi Since Ready Player One

Ready Player One came out in 2018

Although Steven Spielberg has long been a staple of the sci-fi genre, in recent years, he has focused on other genres. Notably, Spielberg’s most recent sci-fi movie is 2018’s Ready Player One. Based on a book by Ernest Cline, the story takes place in a future where humans are glued to virtual reality headsets, and when the creator of the VR program OASIS dies, he leaves a massive fortune to be found within his game. Protagonist Wade Watts sets out to find this treasure. Despite Ernest Cline’s a sequel, Spielberg’s Ready Player One remained a standalone movie.

The gap between present day and 2018 isn’t the only sci-fi hiatus Steven Spielberg has taken either. Before Ready Player One, Spielberg’s last sci-fi movie was 2005’s War of the Worlds. That thirteen year gap is way more significant than the six-year break between Ready Player One and Spielberg’s upcoming UFO movie.

In this way, his UFO film could really break some impressive Steven Spielberg records.

Why Ready Player One Was Divisive – And Why Spielberg’s New Movie Can Beat It

Spielberg’s Ready Player One was forgettable

It’s true that there have been a handful of years since Steven Spielberg made a sci-fi movie, but another important fact to note is that his last sci-fi film, Ready Player One, was quite divisive. While some found the film to be incredibly fun and full of exciting and nostalgic pop culture references, others found it to be lacking, and overfilled with fan service. Notably, Ready Player One’s reviews never really skewed one way or another. Though the film has a 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, a viewer could likely find as many raving reviews as there are terrible ones.

In this way, Ready Player One has faded into the background of the sci-fi genre, and this is why Steven Spielberg’s UFO movie can beat it. If the UFO movie truly is an original Spielberg story, and if it manages to impress audiences even a little, then it will surely surpass Ready Player One in terms of anticipation and reaction. Really, even if this new Spielberg movie flops, that will give it more publicity than what Ready Player One has had. So, regardless of how it turns out, Spielberg is sure to make a splash with his next sci-fi project.

Spielberg’s New UFO Movie May Not Beat Ready Player One’s Box Office

Ready Player One did succeed at the box office

Despite the fact that Steven Spielberg’s UFO movie can easily overwhelm Ready Player One’s lukewarm reputation, it may still struggle to keep up financially. Ready Player One wasn’t a fan favorite, but it excelled at the box office, earning $607 million on a $155 to 175 million budget. It is only one of two Spielberg movies to hit such heights in the 21st century. In this way, Spielberg will definitely have to have a great movie on his hands if he wants to make the same amount of money. A key to this may be keeping the budget fairly small.

In the end, Steven Spielberg’s upcoming UFO movie is exciting for several reasons. It has been six years since his last sci-fi venture, and there’s little doubt that this new movie can gather much more anticipation and excitement. However, whether it will make the same amount of money is still up in the air. And if Spielberg intends to write this new movie from scratch, then that means audiences have even more to look forward to. No matter what, a Steven Spielberg project is always going to pique interest.