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
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, holding the title of highest-grossing film for over a decade after its debut. Its story of a stranded alien befriended by a suburban child struck a rare cultural nerve, blending wonder and melancholy in a way that appealed equally to children and adults. The film's success helped cement Spielberg's reputation as a master of popular cinema and remains a touchstone for a generation raised on its imagery, its John Williams score, and its themes of trust, childhood, and separation.
This cell places Mary, the mother of the household at the center of the story, alongside Keys, the government investigator whose presence signals the encroaching adult world outside the children's secret. Their pairing suggests a scene where domestic life and official authority intersect, a moment collectors prize for capturing the film's quieter human tension rather than its more famous spectacle. Mary represents the family's grounding presence, while Keys embodies the mystery and pursuit driving the plot forward. Together they mark a point where the story's two worlds meet on film.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with rounded corners consistent with KS-type perforations
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single bilateral variable-area track
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read alphanumeric key numbers or stock codes
Base & colour
Base shows a slight cyan-green tint consistent with Eastman color print stock; dye image appears warm with no obvious fading or red shift
Projection history
Fine longitudinal scratches are visible running the length of the strip, consistent with a projected print that has passed through a gate
Picture
Positive color image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Era check
The single bilateral variable-area optical track, cyan-tinted Eastman base, and KS-type perforations are all consistent with a 1982-era theatrical 35mm release print
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 000062680
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
