Steven Spielberg’s $603 Million Alien Invasion Epic Is Changing Streamers

6 days ago 11

Published Feb 21, 2026, 11:20 AM EST

Rohan Naahar is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

Director Steven Spielberg is all set to make his long-awaited return to the sci-fi genre this year, with the hotly anticipated film Disclosure Day. Spielberg, who remains synonymous with the genre, broke out with movies such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. His last sci-fi movie, Ready Player One, was released in 2018. However, he directed a string of sci-fi hits at the turn of the century. One of them stands out to this day, not only because it grossed significantly more at the box office than the others, but because it was based on a story that has enthralled generations. The movie in question is over 20 years old at this point, and will soon be made available on a new streaming service for younger audiences to enjoy.

We're talking about War of the Worlds. Released in 2005 to generally positive critical reviews but mixed audience reception, the movie followed a man and his children trying to survive an alien invasion. War of the Worlds was headlined by Tom Cruise, with Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin playing his character's kids. Produced on a reported budget of over $130 million, War of the Worlds grossed more than $600 million worldwide. It remains one of Spielberg's top-grossing films, although reviews weren't as glowing as you'd expect. It now stands at a 76% critics' score and a rather rough 42% audience score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "Steven Spielberg's adaptation of War of the Worlds delivers on the thrill and paranoia of H.G. Wells' classic novel while impressively updating the action and effects for modern audiences."

Here's Where You Can Watch 'War of the Worlds' in March

Based on H.G. Wells' 19th-century book, War of the Worlds is heading to the Starz streaming service this March. Cruise and Spielberg had previously worked together on Minority Report; the star went on to headline another alien invasion movie, Edge of Tomorrow. Spielberg's upcoming film Disclosure Day deals with the revelation that aliens exist among us, and features Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell. A new adaptation of War of the Worlds, which unfolded entirely on digital screens and starring Ice Cube, was released to toxic reviews last year.