"E.T." and "The Extraterrestrial" redirect here. For the titular character of this film, seeE.T. (character). For other uses, seeET andExtraterrestrial.
Thefilm's concept was based on animaginary friend that Spielberg created after his parents' divorce. In 1980, Spielberg met Mathison and developed a new story from the unrealized projectNight Skies. In less than two months, Mathison wrote the first draft of the script, titledE.T. and Me, which went through two rewrites. The project was rejected byColumbia 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. Theanimatronics for the film were designed byCarlo Rambaldi.
A race of diminutive aliens visit Earth at night to gather plant specimens in a California forest. One of them, fascinated by the distant lights of a neighborhood, separates from the group, before U.S. government agents arrive and chase the startled creature. The aliens are forced to depart before the agents can find them, leaving their lone member behind. While the agents search the forest, the creature takes shelter in a shed belonging to the family of ten-year-old Elliott Taylor. Initially scared by the creature, who runs away, Elliott spends the following day leaving a trail ofReese's Pieces to lure the alien back to the Taylor's home, where he hides the creature in his room. The following morning, Elliott feigns illness to stay off school and play with the creature, whom he dubs E.T. Elliott eventually introduces E.T. to his older brother, Michael, and five-year-old sister Gertie, who agree to keep E.T. hidden from their hardworking single mother, Mary.
When the children ask about his origins, E.T. displays telekinetic abilities by levitating several balls to represent hisplanetary system, and later demonstrates other extraordinary abilities by reviving a deadchrysanthemum and instantly healing a cut on Elliott's finger. As Elliott and the creature begin to bond, they start to share thoughts and emotions, the two being simultaneously startled when E.T. accidentally opens an umbrella in a different room. At school, Elliott becomes intoxicated because, at home, E.T. is drinking beer and watching television. Sensing E.T.'s desire to be rescued, Elliott impulsively frees the frogs about to bevivisected in his biology class, inspiring the other children to follow his lead, and romantically kisses a girl he likes because E.T. is watchingJohn Wayne kissMaureen O'Hara inThe Quiet Man (1952); Elliott is sent to the principal's office for his disruptive behavior.
Inspired by aBuck Rogers comic strip, depicting the character calling for help with a communication device, E.T. builds a makeshift device to "phone home", using various parts around the Taylor home. E.T. also learns to speak English, and requests the children's help to build the device. They agree to help find the missing components, unaware that agents are covertly searching for the alien. OnHalloween, the children disguise E.T. as a ghost and Elliott sneaks E.T. into the forest, where they set up the device to call E.T.'s people. Elliott begs E.T. to stay on Earth with him, before falling asleep and waking alone in the forest the next day. Elliott returns home to his worried family, while Michael searches for E.T., finding him pale and weakened in aculvert. He takes him home, where Elliott is also growing weaker, and reveals the creature to Mary just before government agents invade and quarantine the house.
The lead agent, Keys, asks for Elliott's help to save E.T., stating that meeting aliens was his childhood dream and he considers E.T's arrival a genuine miracle. However, E.T. dies while Elliott rapidly recovers. Left alone to say goodbye, Elliott tells E.T. that he loves him, so E.T.'s heart begins to glow and he is revived and restored to health. E.T. tells Elliott that his people are returning for him. Elliott and Michael flee with E.T. on their bikes, flanked by Michael's friends who help them evade the pursuing authorities. Heading towards a roadblock, E.T. levitates the boys to safety and lands them in the forest. E.T.'s ship arrives, and he says goodbye to Michael and Gertie, who gifts him the chrysanthemum he previously revived. Elliott tearfully asks E.T. to stay, but E.T. places his glowing finger on Elliott's head and tells him that he will always be there. The children, Mary, and Keys observe as the ship blasts off into space, leaving a rainbow in the sky.
DirectorSteven Spielberg (left) and co-producerKathleen Kennedy, the latter of whom received her first producing credit with this film
After his parents' divorce in 1960,Steven Spielberg filled the void with an imaginary alien companion that he later recalled as "a friend who could be the brother [he] never had and a father that [he] didn't feel [he] had anymore".[8] In 1978, he announced that he would shoot a film entitledGrowing Up, which he would film in four weeks. However, the project was set aside due to delays on1941, but the concept of making a small autobiographical film about childhood would stay with him.[9] He also thought about a follow-up toClose Encounters of the Third Kind, and began to develop a darker project he had planned withJohn Sayles calledNight Skies, in which malevolent aliens terrorize a family.[9][10]
FilmingRaiders of the Lost Ark in Tunisia caused a sense of loneliness in Spielberg, far from his family and friends, and made memories of his childhood creation resurface.[9][11] He told screenwriterMelissa Mathison aboutNight Skies, and developed a subplot from the failed project in which Buddy, the only friendly alien, befriends anautistic child. Buddy's abandonment on Earth in the script's final scene inspired the concept ofE.T.[11] Mathison wrote a first draft titledE.T. and Me in eight weeks,[11] which Spielberg considered perfect.[12] The script went through two more drafts, one byMatthew Robbins which deleted an "Eddie Haskell"–esque friend of Elliott's, named Lance.[13] Robbins helped create the chase sequence and he suggested the scene where E.T. got drunk.[9]
In mid-1981, whileRaiders of the Lost Ark was being promoted,Columbia Pictures met with Spielberg to discuss the script, after having to developNight Skies with the director as the intended sequel toClose Encounters of the Third Kind. However, Marvin Atonowsky, the head of Columbia Pictures' marketing and research development, concluded that it had limited commercial potential, believing that it would appeal to mostly young children.[14] John Veitch, president of Columbia's worldwide productions, also felt that the script was not good or scary enough to be financially viable. On the advice of Atonowsky and Veitch, Columbia CEOFrank Price, who had already funneled nearly $1 million into the film's development (mostly on creature designer Rick Baker's alien models), was now calling it "a wimpy Walt Disney movie". He informed Spielberg that the project was officially being put intoturnaround;[15] Spielberg took the project toSid Sheinberg, president ofMCA, then the parent company ofUniversal Pictures.[16][14] Spielberg told Sheinberg to acquire the E.T. script from Columbia Pictures, which he did for $1million and struck a deal with Price in which Columbia would retain 5% of the film's net profits. Veitch later recalled that "I think [in 1982] we made more on that picture than we did on any ofour films."[14]
Italian special effects artistCarlo Rambaldi created E.T.'s design.
Carlo Rambaldi, who designed the aliens forClose Encounters of the Third Kind, was hired to design theanimatronics forE.T. Rambaldi's own paintingWomen of Delta led him to give the creature a unique, extendable neck.[12] Its face was inspired by those ofCarl Sandburg,Albert Einstein andErnest Hemingway.[17] ProducerKathleen Kennedy visited theJules Stein Eye Institute to study real and glass eyes. She hired Institute staffers to create E.T.'s eyes, which she felt were particularly important in engaging the audience.[18] Four heads were created for filming, one as the main animatronic and the others for facial expressions, as well as a costume.[17] A team of puppeteers controlled E.T.'s face with animatronics. Twolittle people,Tamara De Treaux andPat Bilon,[9] as well as 12-year-old Matthew DeMeritt, who was born without legs,[19] took turns wearing the costume, depending on what scene was being filmed. DeMeritt actually walked on his hands and played all scenes where E.T. walked awkwardly or fell over. The head was placed above that of the actors, and the actors could see through slits in its chest.[12] Caprice Roth, a professional mime, filledprosthetics to play E.T.'s hands.[18] The puppet was created in three months at the cost of $1.5million.[20] Spielberg declared that it was "something that only a mother could love".[12]
Having worked withCary Guffey onClose Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg felt confident in working with a cast composed mostly of child actors.[18] For the role of Elliott, heauditioned hundreds of boys,[24] includingKeith Coogan;[25] beforeJack Fisk suggestedHenry Thomas for the role because Henry had played the part of Harry in the filmRaggedy Man, which Fisk had directed.[26] Thomas, who auditioned in anIndiana Jones costume, did not perform well in the formal testing, but got the filmmakers' attention in animprovised scene.[18] Thoughts of his dead dog inspired his convincing tears.[27]Robert MacNaughton auditioned eight times to play Michael, sometimes with boys auditioning for Elliott. Spielberg felt thatDrew Barrymore had the right imagination for the mischievous Gertie after she impressed him with a story that she led a punk rock band.[12] He enjoyed working with the children, and he later said that the experience made him feel ready to be a father.[28]Ralph Macchio was considered for the role of Tyler, before it went to his eventualThe Outsiders co-starC. Thomas Howell.[29]
The major voice work of E.T. for the film was performed byPat Welsh. She smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, which gave her voice a quality that sound effects creatorBen Burtt liked. She spent nine-and-a-half hours recording her part, and was paid $380 by Burtt for her services.[9] He also recorded 16 other people and various animals to create E.T.'s "voice". These included Spielberg, actressDebra Winger, his sleeping wife sick with a cold, a burp from hisUniversity of Southern California film professor, raccoons, otters, and horses.[30][31]
Doctors working at the USC Medical Center were recruited to play the ones who try to save E.T. after government agents take over Elliott's house. Spielberg felt that actors in the roles, performing lines of technical medical dialogue, would come across as unnatural.[28] During post-production, he decided to cut a scene featuringHarrison Ford as the principal at Elliott's school. It featured his character reprimanding Elliott for his behavior in biology class and warning of the dangers of underage drinking. He is then taken aback as Elliott's chair rises from the floor, while E.T. is levitating his "phone" equipment up the stairs with Gertie.[12] Ford's face is never seen.[32] The footage of this scene was included on the film's 1996LaserDisc release as a bonus feature. It was not included on the DVD and Blu-ray releases that followed.[33]
Principal photography began in neighborhoods inLos Angeles County and in theSan Fernando Valley on September 8, 1981.[34] The project was filmed under the cover nameA Boy's Life, as Spielberg did not want anyone to discover and plagiarize the plot. The actors had to read the script behind closed doors, and everyone on set had to wear an ID card.[18] The shoot began with two days atCulver City High School, and the crew spent the next 11 days moving between locations atNorthridge andTujunga.[9] The next 42 days were spent atLaird International Studios inCulver City for the interiors of Elliott's home.[35] The crew shot at a redwood forest nearCrescent City in Northern California for the production's last six days.[9][11] The exterior Halloween scene and the "flying bicycle" chase scenes were filmed inPorter Ranch.[36]
Spielberg shot the film in roughly chronological order to achieve convincing emotional performances from his cast; it was also done to help the child actors with the workload. Spielberg calculated that the film would hit home harder if the children were really saying goodbye to E.T. at the end. In the scene in which Michael first encounters E.T., his appearance caused MacNaughton to jump back and knock down the shelves behind him. The chronological shoot gave the young actors an emotional experience as they bonded with E.T., making the quarantine sequences more moving.[28] Spielberg ensured that the puppeteers were kept away from the set to maintain the illusion of a real alien. For the first time in his career, Spielberg did not storyboard most of the film, in order to facilitate spontaneity in the performances.[34] The film was shot so adults, except for Dee Wallace, are never seen from the waist up in its first half, as a tribute to the cartoons ofTex Avery.[12] According to Spielberg, the scene in which E.T. disguises himself as a stuffed toy in Elliott's closet was suggested by fellow directorRobert Zemeckis after he read a draft of the screenplay that Spielberg had sent him.[37] In between takes, the young actors spent time doing activities such as riding bicycles around the sound stages, playingDungeons & Dragons, the game that Elliott, Michael, Steve, Tyler, and Greg play in a scene early in the film, and attending school lessons.[38][39][40] The shoot was completed in 61 days, four ahead of schedule.[11]
In a 2022 interview,Sean Frye, who played Steve, revealed how the visual effect close-up shots for the climax of the "flying bicycle" chase scene were filmed and reflected on the experience, saying: "We were on these rigs ... They're pulling the trees backwards, past us on tracks, so it looks like we're going through and up and through and over to create this illusion that we're going forward when we're going nowhere. Then the pushing and pulling of the things so that the bike is up and down, and we can get the 'Whoaaaa' effects. That was great."[38]BMX riders Robert Cardoza, Greg Maes, and David Lee served asstunt doubles for the scene.[41]
Spielberg's regular collaboratorJohn Williams described the challenge of creating a score that would generate sympathy for such an odd-looking creature. As with their previous collaborations, Spielberg liked every theme Williams composed and had it included. Spielberg loved the music for the final chase so much that he edited the sequence to suit it.[42] Williams took a modernist approach, especially with his use ofpolytonality, which refers to the sound of two different keys played simultaneously. TheLydian mode can also be used in a polytonal way. Williams combined polytonality and the Lydian mode to express a mystic, dreamlike and heroic quality. His theme, emphasizing coloristic instruments such as the harp, piano,celesta, and other keyboards, as well as percussion, suggests E.T.'s childlike nature and his "machine".[43] The soundtrack album was first released on June 11, 1982, the same day as the film.[44] Anaudiobook companion album featuring Williams's score, produced byQuincy Jones and narrated byMichael Jackson, was released on November 15, 1982, exactly two weeks prior to Jackson's acclaimed sixth studio albumThriller.[45]
Spielberg admitted that this scene triggered speculation as to whether the film was a spiritual parable.[46]
Spielberg drew the story of the film from his parents' divorce.[47] Gary Arnold ofThe Washington Post called it "essentially a spiritual autobiography, a portrait of the filmmaker as a typical suburban kid set apart by an uncommonly fervent, mystical imagination."[48] References to Spielberg's childhood occur throughout: Elliott fakes illness by holding a thermometer to the bulb in his lamp while covering his face with a heating pad, a trick frequently employed by the young Spielberg.[49] Michael picking on Elliott echoes Spielberg's teasing of his younger sisters,[12] and Michael's evolution from tormentor to protector reflects how Spielberg had to take care of his sisters after their father left.[28]
Critics have focused on the parallels between the lives of E.T. and Elliott, who is "alienated" by the loss of his father.[50][51]Pauline Kael noted that "Elliot (his name begins with an 'E' and ends with a T.') is a dutiful, too sober boy who never takes off his invisible thinking cap; the telepathic communication he develops with E.T. eases his cautious, locked-up worries, and he begins to act on his impulses."[52]A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times wrote that while E.T. "is the more obvious and desperate foundling," Elliott "suffers in his own way from the want of a home."[53][54] At the film's heart is the theme of growing up. Some critics have suggested that Spielberg's portrayal of suburbia is very dark, contrary to popular belief. According to A.O. Scott, "the suburban milieu, with its unsupervised children and unhappy parents, its broken toys and brand-name junk food, could have come out of aRaymond Carver story."[53] Charles Taylor of Salon.com wrote that "Spielberg's movies, despite the way they're often characterized, are not Hollywood idealizations of families and the suburbs. The homes here bear what the cultural critic Karal Ann Marling called 'the marks of hard use'."[47] Relatedly, scholarship has emerged on the film regarding its subversion of the nuclear family dynamic, in which Elliott is growing up with a physically absent father and an emotionally absent mother; this aspect of the movie offers an exploration of upbringing within a nontraditional family structure.[55]
Other critics found religious parallels between E.T. andJesus.[56][57][58] Andrew Nigels described E.T.'s story as "crucifixion by military science" and "resurrection by love and faith."[59] According to Spielberg biographerJoseph McBride, Universal Pictures appealed directly to the Christian market, with a poster reminiscent ofMichelangelo'sThe Creation of Adam (more specifically the "fingers touching" detail) and a logo reading "Peace".[11] Spielberg answered that he did not intend the film to be a religious parable, joking, "If I ever went to my mother and said, 'Mom, I've made this movie that's a Christian parable,' what do you think she'd say? She has a Kosher restaurant on Pico and Doheny in Los Angeles."[46]
Several writers have seen the movie as a modernfairy tale.[60] Critic Henry Sheehan described the film as a retelling ofPeter Pan from the perspective of a Lost Boy (Elliott): E.T. cannot survive physically on Earth, as Pan could not survive emotionally inNeverland; government scientists take the place of Neverland's pirates. Furthering the parallels, there is a scene in the film where Mary readsPeter Pan to Gertie.[61]Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times similarly observed that the film "freely recycles elements from"Peter Pan andThe Wizard of Oz.[62] Kael writes that "from the opening in the dense, vernal woodland that adjoins Elliot's suburb (it's where we first hear E.T.'s frightened sounds), the film has the soft, mysterious inexorability of the classic tale of enchantment. The little shed in the back of the house where Elliott tosses in a ball and E.T. sends it back is part of a dreamscape."[52]
ProducerKathleen Kennedy noted that an important theme of the film is tolerance, which would be central to future Spielberg films such asSchindler's List.[12] Having been a loner as a teenager, Spielberg described it as "a minority story".[63] Spielberg's characteristic theme of communication is partnered with the ideal of mutual understanding; he has suggested that the story's central alien-human friendship is an analogy for how real-world adversaries can learn to overcome their differences.[64]
E.T. was previewed in Houston, Texas, and premiered at the1982 Cannes Film Festival's closing gala on May 26, 1982,[65][66] and was released in the United States on June 11, 1982. It opened atnumber one at the US box office with a gross of $11million, and stayed at the top of the box office for six weeks; it then fluctuated between the first and second positions until October, before returning to the top spot for the final time in December following a Christmas re-release.[67] In its second weekend, it recorded the highest-grossing second weekend of all time, surpassing the record of $10,765,687 set bySuperman II in 1981.[68] In its fourth weekend, it recorded the highest-grossing weekend of all time, surpassing the record of $16,706,592 set earlier that year byRocky III.[69] It had a record eight weekends with a gross of over $10 million, a feat not matched untilHome Alone (1990),[70] and set arecord for being at number one for 16 weeks in total.[71]
The film began its international rollout in Australia on November 26, 1982, and grossed $839,992 in its first 10 days from nine theatres, setting five weekly house records and 43 daily records. In South Africa, it opened in late November and grossed $724,340 in eight days from 14 screens, setting 13 weekly highs. In France, it opened on December 1, and had 930,000 admissions in its first five days on 250 screens, setting an all-time record in Paris for most daily admissions (Saturday, December 4). In Japan, it opened on December 4, and grossed $1,757,527 in two days from 35 theatres in 11 cities, setting 10 house records on Saturday and 14 on Sunday.[72] In the United Kingdom, it opened on December 9 after a charity performance in London and grossed a record £1 million in its opening weekend.[73] The film added another 138 screens in Japan on December 11, with advance sales of 1.3 million tickets.[72] It later opened in the Philippines in January 1983.[74] In Finland, Norway, and Sweden, the film had minimum age ratings of 8, 12, and 11, respectively, while Denmark had no minimum age limit. There were Swedish people who were opposed to the age limit.[75]
In 1983,E.T. surpassedStar Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time;[76] by the end of its theatrical run, it had grossed $359million in the United States and Canada and $619million worldwide.[3][77]Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 120million tickets in its initial U.S. theatrical run.[78] Spielberg earned $500,000 a day from his share of the profits,[79][80] whileThe Hershey Company's profits rose 65% due to the film's prominent placement ofReese's Pieces.[21] The "Official E.T. Fan Club" offered photographs, a newsletter that let readers "relive the film's unforgettable moments [and] favorite scenes", and a vinyl record with "phone home" and other sound clips.[81]
The film was also a merchandising success, with dolls selling15 million units by September 1982 and becoming the best-selling toy that Christmas season.[82]E.T. went on to generate over$1 billion in merchandise sales by 1998.[83] Following the success of the film,Kuwahara, the company that created theBMX bikes featured in the film, began producing red and white "E.T." models in three price and quality levels.[84] Kuwahara reissued the E.T. model in 2002, as part of the film's 20th anniversary, and again in 2022 as part of the film's 40th anniversary.[85]
Posters of the 1985, 2002 and 2022 re-releases
The film was re-released in 1985 and 2002, earning another $60million and $68million respectively,[86][87] for a worldwide total of $792million with $435million from the United States and Canada.[3] It held the global record until it was surpassed byJurassic Park, another Spielberg film, in 1993,[88] although it managed to hold on to the United States and Canada record for a further four years, until the release of the Special Edition ofStar Wars.[89]
It was re-released inIMAX on August 12, 2022, in the United States and Canada, to commemorate the film's 40th anniversary, alongside an IMAX andRealD 3D reissue of another Spielberg filmJaws scheduled for September 2. Jim Orr, Universal's president of distribution remarked "No filmmaker, it's fair to say, has had a greater or more enduring impact on American cinema or has created more indelible cinematic memories for tens of billions of people worldwide. We couldn't think of a more perfect way to celebrate the anniversary ofE.T. and the first Universal-Spielberg summer blockbuster,Jaws, than to allow audiences to experience these films in a way they've never been able to before."[90] The IMAX release grossed $490,000 on its first day from 389 theaters, for a three-day total of $1.07 million and a $438million running total.[91]
The film would remain one of Universal's top three highest-grossing films of all time in North America, behindJurassic World (2015) andThe Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), until 2024 with the release ofWicked, the first installment ofthe musical'stwo-part film adaptation. As of 2025, the film remains the studio's fifteenth highest-grossing film of all time worldwide.[92]
E.T. was eventually released on VHS and LaserDisc on October 27, 1988. The videos were priced with a recommended retail price of $24.95, the lowest initial price at the time for a major movie compared to the normal price of $89.95.[93][94] To combat piracy, the tape guards and tape hubs on the videocassettes were colored green, and the tape itself was affixed with a small, holographic sticker of the 1963 Universal logo (much like the holograms on a credit card), and encoded withMacrovision.[27] The film doubled the record pre-orders ofCinderella released the same month and went on to sell over 15million VHS units in the United States, and grossed over$250 million in video sales revenue.[94][95][96] The VHS cassette was also rented over six million times during its first two weeks in 1988, a record it held until the VHS release ofBatman the following year.[97] Conservative Christians who were still angry about Universal's release ofThe Last Temptation of Christ earlier in the year called for a boycott of this release.[98] Initial orders internationally exceeded $30 million despite the film often being sold at full price, setting records in the United Kingdom with over 81,000 units and Australia with 35,500 units. It initially shipped 152,000 units in Japan and 87,000 in Germany.[99] In 1991,Sears began sellingE.T. videocassettes exclusively at their stores as part of a holiday promotion.[100] It was reissued on VHS and LaserDisc again in 1996, with the latter including a 90-minute documentary produced and directed byLaurent Bouzereau; it included interviews with Spielberg, producer Kathleen Kennedy, composer John Williams, and other cast and crew members, as well as two theatrical trailers, an isolated music score, deleted scenes, and still galleries. The VHS included a 10-minute version of the same documentary from the LaserDisc.[101] Both 1996 home video releases of the film were alsoTHX certified as well.[102] The 2012 release ofE.T. on DVD and Blu-ray grossed$24.4 million in sales revenue as of 2017[update] in the United States.[103]
Empire magazine called Elliott and E.T.'s flight to the forest "the most magical moment in cinema history".[104] The scene is a tribute to the 1951Vittorio De Sica filmMiracle in Milan, one of Spielberg's favorite films.[105]
Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and wrote, "It works as science fiction, it's sometimes as scary as a monster movie, and at the end, when the lights go up, there's not a dry eye in the house."[106] He later added it to his canon of "Great Movies", structuring the essay as a letter to his grandchildren about watching it with them. Of the scene with the flying bicycles, he writes: "I remember when I saw the movie at Cannes: Even the audience there, people who had seen thousands of movies, let out a whoop at that moment."[107]
Pauline Kael forThe New Yorker wrote "Spielberg respects the conventions of children's stories, and because he does he's able to create the atmosphere for a mythic experience" going on to say "Spielberg has earned the tears that some people in the audience, and not just children, shed."[108]
Michael Sragow ofRolling Stone called Spielberg "a space ageJean Renoir.... for the first time, [he] has put his breathtaking technical skills at the service of his deepest feelings".[109] Derek Malcolm ofThe Guardian wrote that "E.T. is a superlative piece of popular cinema [...] a dream of childhood, brilliantly orchestrated to involve not only children but anyone able to remember being one".[110]Leonard Maltin included it in his list of "100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century" as one of only two movies from the 1980s.[6] Political commentatorGeorge Will was one of few to pan the film, feeling it spread subversive notions about childhood and science.[111]
John Nubbin reviewedE.T. forDifferent Worlds magazine and stated that "E.T. is a totally enjoyable film. The detail lavished on the movie makes it an exquisite viewing experience well above the crowd of the summer releases."[112]
The film holds a 99% approval rating onRotten Tomatoes, based on 146 reviews, and an average rating of 9.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Playing as both an exciting sci-fi adventure and a remarkable portrait of childhood, Steven Spielberg's touching tale of a homesick alien remains a piece of movie magic for young and old."[113] OnMetacritic, it has a weighted average score of 92/100 based on 30 reviews.[114] In addition to the film's wide acclaim, PresidentRonald Reagan and First LadyNancy Reagan were moved by it after a screening at theWhite House on June 27, 1982.[80]Princess Diana was in tears after watching it.[12] On September 17, 1982, it was screened at theUnited Nations, and Spielberg received aUN Peace Medal.[115]CinemaScore reported that audiences polled during the opening weekend gave the film a rare "A+" grade, the first film to earn that grade.[116]
In 2003,Entertainment Weekly called the film the eighth most "tear-jerking";[132] in 2007, in a survey of both films and television series, the magazine declared it the seventh greatest work of science-fiction media in the past 25 years.[133]The Times also named it as their ninth favorite alien in a film, calling it "one of the best-loved non-humans in popular culture".[134] It is among the top ten in the BFI list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14. In 1994, it was selected for preservation in the U.S.National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[135] In 2011, ABC airedBest in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time, revealing the results of a poll of fans conducted by ABC andPeople magazine: It was selected as the fifth best film of all time and the second best science fiction film.[136] On October 22, 2012,Madame Tussauds unveiled wax likenesses of E.T. at six of its international locations.[137]
A species of sponge,Advhena magnifica, was given the common name "E.T. sponge" due to its resemblance of the creature.[138]
In 2023, actressRita Moreno, who starred in Spielberg's2021 film adaptation of the musicalWest Side Story, namedE.T. as one of her top five favorite films, saying "Number one, it has superb child actors, which can really only happen because of Steven Spielberg. He is just great with children because he's like a child himself. It's a very interesting phenomenon."[139]
The 20th anniversary version of the film replaces the guns used by the federal agents with walkie-talkies.
An extended version of the film, dubbed the "Special Edition" (currently out of circulation), including altered dialogue and visual effects, premiered at theShrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 16, 2002; it was released on home media six days later. Certain shots of E.T. had bothered Spielberg since 1982, as he did not have enough time to perfect the animatronics.Computer-generated imagery (CGI), provided byIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM), was used to modify several shots, including ones of E.T. running in the opening sequence and being spotted in the cornfield. The spaceship's design was also altered to include more lights. The first flying sequence where Elliott and E.T. fly on their bicycle through the forest now had the cape of Elliott's Halloween costume flap in the wind as it appeared to have originally been intended to be, a change done to have the sequence, particularly the iconic shot of them flying past the Moon, match the film's poster and the logo of Spielberg's production companyAmblin Entertainment.
Scenes shot for but not included in the original version were introduced. These included E.T. taking a bath and Gertie telling Mary that Elliott went to the forest on Halloween. Mary's dialogue, during the offscreen argument with Michael about his Halloween costume, was altered to replace the word "terrorist" with "hippie" in response to theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks. Spielberg did not add the scene featuring Harrison Ford, feeling that would reshape the film too drastically. He became more sensitive about the scene where gun-wielding federal agents confront Elliott and his escaping friends and had them digitally replaced withwalkie-talkies.[12] Spielberg later admitted that he regretted editing out the guns from the film, stating that the film should be left untouched to represent the culture of its time.[143]
At the premiere, John Williams conducted a live performance of the score.[144] The new release grossed $68million in total, with $35million coming from Canada and the United States.[87] The changes to it, particularly the escape scene, were criticized aspolitical correctness.Peter Travers ofRolling Stone wondered "Remember those guns the feds carried? Thanks to the miracle of digital, they're now brandishing walkie-talkies.... Is this what two decades have done to free speech?"[145] Chris Hewitt ofEmpire wrote, "The changes are surprisingly low-key... while ILM's CGI E.T. is used sparingly as a complement to Carlo Rambaldi's extraordinary puppet."[146]South Park ridiculed many of the changes in the 2002 episode "Free Hat".[147]
The two-disc DVD release which followed on October 22, 2002, contained the original theatrical and 20th Anniversary extended versions of the film. The features on disc one included deleted scenes, an introduction with Spielberg, a "Reunion" featurette and a "Look Back" featurette. Disc two included a 24-minute documentary about the 20th Anniversary edition changes, a 20th Anniversary premiere featurette, John Williams' performance at the 2002 premiere, a Space Exploration game, a trailer, cast and filmmaker bios, production notes, and the still galleries ported from the 1996 LaserDisc set. The two-disc edition, as well as a three-disc collector's edition containing a "making of" book, a certificate of authenticity, a film cell, and special features that were unavailable on the two-disc edition,[148] were placed inmoratorium on December 31, 2002. Later, it was re-released on DVD as a single-disc re-issue in 2005, featuring only the 20th Anniversary version.[149]
In a June 2011, interview, Spielberg said,
[In the future,] ... There's going to be no more digital enhancements or digital additions to anything based on any film I direct.... When people ask me whichE.T. they should look at, I always tell them to look at the original 1982E.T. If you notice, when we did put outE.T. we put out twoE.T.s. We put out the digitally enhanced version with the additional scenes and for no extra money, in the same package, we put out the original '82 version. I always tell people to go back to the '82 version.[150]
For the film's 30th anniversary release on Blu-ray in 2012 and for its 35th anniversary release on Ultra HD Blu-ray in 2017, as well as its corresponding digital releases, only the original theatrical edition was released, with the 20th anniversary edition now out of circulation.[149]
Atari, Inc. produced avideo game based on the film for theAtari 2600 and hiredHoward Scott Warshaw to program the game. The game was rushed in five weeks to release within the 1982 Christmas season.[151] Released in Christmas 1982, the game was critically panned, with nearly every aspect of the game facing heavy criticism. It has since been considered to beone of the worst video games ever made.[152] It was also acommercial failure. It has been cited as a major contributing factor to thevideo game industry crash of 1983, and has been frequently referenced and mocked in popular culture as a cautionary tale about the dangers of rushed game development and studio interference. In what was initially deemed anurban legend, reports from 1983 stated that as a result of overproduction and returns, millions of unsoldcartridges were secretly buried in anAlamogordo, New Mexico landfill and covered with a layer of concrete. In April 2014, diggers hired to investigate the claim confirmed that the Alamogordo landfill contained many E.T. cartridges, among other games.[153][154][155]
William Kotzwinkle, author of the film's novelization, wrote a sequel,E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet, which was published in 1985. In the novel, E.T. returns home to the planet Brodo Asogi, but is subsequently demoted and sent into exile. He attempts to return to Earth by effectively breaking all of Brodo Asogi's laws.[156]
E.T. Adventure, a theme park ride based on the film and drawing inspiration fromThe Book of the Green Planet, debuted atUniversal Studios Florida on June 7, 1990. The $40million attraction features the title character saying goodbye to visitors by name, along with his home planet.[11] In 1998, E.T. was licensed to appear in television public service announcements produced by theProgressive Corporation. The announcements featured his voice reminding drivers to "buckle up" their seat belts. Traffic signs depicting a stylized E.T. wearing one were installed on selected roads around the United States.[157] The following year,British Telecommunications launched the "Stay in Touch" campaign, with him as the star of various advertisements. The campaign's slogan was "B.T. has E.T.", with "E.T." also taken to mean "extra technology".[158]
At Spielberg's suggestion,George Lucas included members of E.T.'s species as background characters inStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.[159]E.T. was one of the franchises featured in the 2015 crossover gameLego Dimensions. E.T. appears as one of the playable characters, and a world based on the film where players can receive side quests from the characters is available. During E.T.'s trailer in the sketch for the series known asMeet that Hero!,Supergirl explains his backstory and how they have many things in common, including being aliens that crashed down to Earth and how they both have superpowers that they use to help other people.[160][161] In 2017, video game developerZen Studios released a pinball adaptation as part of the Universal Classics add-on pack for the virtual pinball gamePinball FX 3.[162] It features 3-D animated figures of Elliot, E.T. and his spacecraft.
In July 1982, during the film's first theatrical run, Spielberg and Mathison wrote a treatment for a sequel to be titledE.T. II: Nocturnal Fears,[163] which would have shown Elliott and his friends getting kidnapped by evil aliens, and attempting to contact E.T. for help. Spielberg decided against pursuing it, feeling it "would do nothing but rob the original of its virginity.E.T. is not about going back to the planet".[164] Spielberg also revealed in a January 2025 interview withIndiewire that he briefly considered adaptingE.T.: The Book of the Green Planet into a film. He ultimately decided against it, believing that "it was better as a novel than I think it would have been as a film."[165] In 2022, Henry Thomas said that he hopes a feature-length sequel never gets made, but added "I guarantee you, there are a few men in a very big room now salivating and using theirabacus andslide rules to come up with some really, really big numbers."[166]
On November 28, 2019, duringNBC's broadcast of the93rd Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,Xfinity released a four-minute commercial directed byLance Acord, calling it a "short film sequel" to the original film, titledA Holiday Reunion.[167] The commercial stars Henry Thomas, reprising his role as Elliott, now an adult with a family of his own. Julianne Hoyak played his wife, Grace, while Zebastin Borjeau and Alivia Drews played their children, Elliott Jr. and Maggie. The story follows E.T. as he returns to Earth for the Christmas season, and focuses on the importance of bringing family together. References and nods to the original film are featured, such as a photo of the Taylors' family dog Harvey on the kitchen fridge and a replica of the makeshift Speak & Spell communication device.[168]
The commercial uses a practical puppet for E.T. himself. In an interview withDeadline, Acord said that he went this route in order to elicit more realistic performances from the actors, the same way Spielberg did on the original film. John Williams' score from the original film is mixed into the commercial. Spielberg was consulted byComcast (parent company ofNBCUniversal, which itself owns Universal Pictures) before production on the commercial began.[169]
Peter Intermaggio, SVP for Marketing Communications for Comcast remarked on the making of the commercial: "Our goal is to show how Xfinity and Sky technology connects family, friends and loved ones, which is so important during the holidays ... The classic friendship between E.T. and Elliott resonates around the world." Before the commercial was released, Thomas assured that viewers would "get everything they want out of a sequel without the messy bits that could destroy the beauty of the original and the special place it has in people's minds and hearts ... Looking at the storyboards, I could see exactly why Steven was really behind it, because the integrity of the story isn't lost in this retelling."[169]
The full commercial also played onSyfy and theatrically during cinema pre-shows through January 5, 2020, and a two–minute version was edited for Comcast's British subsidiary,Sky UK.[169]
^In order to be eligible for a Grammy Award at the1984 ceremony, nominated records had to be released between October 1, 1982, and September 30, 1983.[120]
^Nashawaty, Chris (July 30, 2024).The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982. New York, NY: Flatiron Books. p. 82.ISBN9781250827067.
^Caulfield, Deborah (July 18, 1982). "E.T. Gossip: The One That Got Away?".Los Angeles Times.
^abE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: Production Notes (DVD booklet)
^Communications, Emmis (April 1986),"Robert MacNaughton",Orange Coast, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 80, 85,archived from the original on April 11, 2021, retrievedJune 14, 2022.
^Thomas A. Sebeok. "Enter Textuality: Echoes from the Extra-Terrestrial." InPoetics Today (1985), Porter Institute for Poetics and Semiotics. Published by Duke University Press.
^Ilsa J. Beck, "The Look Back in E.T.,"Cinema Journal 31(4) (1992): 25–41, 33.
^abKael, Pauline (June 14, 1982). "E.T. The Extraterrestrial".The New Yorker.
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