E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

"E.T." and "The Extraterrestrial" redirect here. For the titular character of this film, see E.T. (character). For other uses, see ET and Extraterrestrial.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The poster shows the planet earth, a child's finger touching E.T's finger, with a light blinking on contact. The top headline reads "His Adventure On Earth".
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin[1]
Directed bySteven Spielberg
Written byMelissa Mathison
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAllen Daviau
Edited byCarol Littleton
Music byJohn Williams
Production
company
Amblin Productions (uncredited)
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • May 26, 1982 (1982-05-26) (Cannes)
  • June 11, 1982 (1982-06-11) (United States)
Running time
114 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10.5 million[3][4]
Box office$792.9 million[3][5]

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (or simply E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed E.T., who is left behind on Earth. Along with his friends and family, Elliott must find a way to help E.T. find his way home. The film stars Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore.

The film's concept was based on an imaginary friend that Spielberg created after his parents' divorce. In 1980, Spielberg met Mathison and developed a new story from the unrealized project Night Skies. In less than two months, Mathison wrote the first draft of the script, titled E.T. and Me, which went through two rewrites. The project was rejected by Columbia Pictures, who doubted its commercial potential. Universal Pictures eventually purchased the script for $1 million. Filming took place from September to December 1981 on a budget of $10.5 million. Unlike most films, E.T. was shot in rough chronological order to facilitate convincing emotional performances from the young cast. The animatronics for the film were designed by Carlo Rambaldi.

E.T. premiered as the closing film of the Cannes Film Festival on May 26, 1982, and was released in the United States on June 11, 1982. The film was a smash hit at the box office, surpassing Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time, a record it held for eleven years until Spielberg's own Jurassic Park surpassed it in 1993. E.T. was near–universally acclaimed by critics, and is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. It received nine nominations at the 55th Academy Awards, winning Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing in addition to being nominated for Best Picture and Best Director. It also won five Saturn Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. The film was re-released in 1985 and again in 2002 to celebrate its 20th anniversary, with altered shots, visual effects, and additional scenes. It was also re-released in IMAX on August 12, 2022, to celebrate its 40th anniversary. In 1994, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, who deemed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

  1. ^ Stewart, Jocelyn (February 10, 2008). "Artist created many famous film posters". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  2. ^ "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (U)". British Board of Film Classification. July 30, 1982. Archived from the original on January 11, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 24, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
  4. ^ "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  5. ^ "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (2022 Re-release)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 24, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2022.