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
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial arrived in 1982 from Universal Pictures under Steven Spielberg's direction, becoming one of the defining blockbusters of its decade and, for years, the highest-grossing film ever made. It told a story of childhood wonder and friendship that crossed generations, cementing itself as a touchstone of American popular culture and family cinema. Its success helped shape how studios approached spectacle paired with emotional intimacy for decades afterward.
This cell centers on Elliott and E.T., the two figures whose bond drives the entire narrative. Their pairing is the emotional core collectors seek, representing the film's most iconic imagery and its lasting hold on audiences. A moment described as flying speaks to one of the story's most celebrated sequences, a passage now embedded in the language of American film history. Owning a frame tied to this scene means holding a fragment of the picture's most recognized and beloved stretch of storytelling.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by 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 with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along the bottom edge of the picture area, consistent with a single bilateral or variable-area mono/stereo track; no Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode line, or SDDS outer-edge tracks are discernible.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes, key numbers, or SAFETY FILM text.
Base & colour
The base appears clear with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image reads as a high-contrast black with bright highlight detail, showing no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or heavy scratching are visible; the image area appears consistent with a projected release print.
Picture
Positive image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot, and the iconic bicycle-silhouette-against-full-moon imagery is consistent with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
Era check
A single variable-area optical track on 35mm positive stock with this base character is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 1980s, the period of the film on record.
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 000062677
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
