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 as a Universal Pictures release directed by Steven Spielberg, becoming the highest-grossing film of its era and a defining work of family filmmaking. Its story of a stranded alien and the suburban children who shelter him struck a lasting chord, blending wonder with genuine emotional stakes. The film's success reshaped how Hollywood approached science fiction for general audiences, proving that a gentle, character-driven story could outperform effects-heavy spectacle. Decades later it remains a touchstone of the Spielberg canon and a favorite among collectors of vintage studio releases.
This cell preserves a 35mm frame featuring Gertie and Michael, the siblings who join Elliott in protecting E.T. from discovery. Gertie, played by a young Drew Barrymore, and Michael, played by Robert MacNaughton, represent the family bond at the story's core, alongside Elliott, portrayed by Henry Thomas. Collectors seek these siblings for their roles in grounding the film's fantasy in believable household dynamics. A 35mm cell like this one offers a physical link to the release print itself, a tangible artifact from the reels that carried this beloved story into theaters in 1982.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical 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 each edge; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean throughout the strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the perforations, appearing as a dual variable-area (bilateral) format.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight warm-amber tint consistent with an aged acetate safety stock; the dye image reads with warm orange-yellow tones.
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines consistent with projector gate contact are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the warm interior lighting palette is consistent with the 1982 theatrical release on record.
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, warm acetate base tint, and colour dye palette are all consistent with a 1982-era theatrical release print of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
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 000062691
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
