National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 1994
“Written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Steven Spielberg, this film chronicles the relationship between a young boy (Henry Thomas) and a benevolent alien who is stranded on Earth and trying to find his way back to his home planet. The film's masterful blending of hopeful innocence with excitement and humor made it both a critical and popular success.”
Universal Pictures · Amblin Entertainment · 115 min
Box office
$792.9M worldwide on a $10.5M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 4 wins, 9 nominationsGolden Globe Awards — 2 wins, 4 nominationsLos Angeles Film Critics Association — 2 winsBritish Academy Film Awards — 1 win, 8 nominationsAll 20 wins · 27 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects
Academy Awards: Best Original Score
Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing
Academy Awards: Best Sound
Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Drama
Golden Globe Awards: Best Original Score
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Film
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Director
British Academy Film Awards: Best Original Music
Japan Academy Film Prize: Outstanding Foreign Language Film
David di Donatello: Best Foreign Director
National Board of Review: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Saturn Award: Best Special Effects
Saturn Award: Best Writing
Saturn Award: Best Science Fiction Film
Saturn Award: Best Music
Saturn Award: Best Classic Film DVD Release
National Society of Film Critics Award: Best Director
Boston Society of Film Critics Award: Best Director
Grammy Award: Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Scholarship
Named in the title of 28 peer-reviewed works
Examples
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial — 100 Science Fiction Films, 2013
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — A K Peters/CRC Press eBooks, 2010
E.T. the extra-terrestrial — Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter), 1982
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released in 1982 by Universal Pictures under Steven Spielberg's direction, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became one of the defining blockbusters of its decade, briefly holding the record as the highest-grossing film ever made. It arrived at a moment when Hollywood was refining the family adventure genre, blending suburban Americana with science fiction wonder and genuine emotional stakes. The film's success cemented Spielberg's reputation as a master of accessible, heartfelt storytelling, and its imagery, particularly its central character, became instantly recognizable across generations, transcending the film itself to become a cultural touchstone of the era.
This cell isolates E.T. himself, the gentle alien whose design and presence anchor the entire film's emotional core. Collectors seek frames of this character because he represents the picture's soul, the being whose loneliness, curiosity, and bond with a human child drive the narrative forward. As a single character study drawn from 35mm printing stock, this piece preserves a fragment of the physical film history behind one of cinema's most beloved creations, offering a tangible connection to the artistry and technical craft that brought this extraterrestrial visitor to life on screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour optical-track release print of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base shows a slight warm-amber tint consistent with an aged colour dye image; no obvious fading or heavy colour shift.
Projection history
Faint longitudinal lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the warm interior lighting and production design are consistent with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
Era check
A variable-area optical track on 35mm colour positive stock with a warm base tint is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 1980s.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000062648
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
