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 family films of its decade, holding the record for highest-grossing film for over a decade. Its story of a stranded alien befriended by a young boy resonated across generations, blending science fiction with heartfelt domestic drama, and its imagery remains among the most reproduced in cinema history, a touchstone for collectors of Spielberg's Amblin era.
This cell captures E.T. and Elliott Flying, the moment most associated with the film's legacy, the bicycle silhouette against the sky that became its signature image. Michael's presence places this within the sequence where Elliott's brother joins the escape, widening the scene beyond the central pair. For collectors, this is the emotional and narrative peak of the film, the union of Elliott and E.T. in flight, and frames from this passage are among the most sought after in the entire 35mm reel for their connection to the film's most celebrated sequence.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on the upper edge; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on the upper edge; lower edge perforations are also present; spacing appears even and punches appear clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower 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
Base shows a warm amber-orange tint consistent with a colour dye image; no obvious fading or red shift detected.
Projection history
Light horizontal lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot and are consistent with a release print of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, warm colour dye image, and 35mm four-perforation format are all consistent with a 1982 theatrical 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 000062717
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
