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 by Universal Pictures in 1982, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became one of the defining blockbusters of its decade, directed by Steven Spielberg at the height of his early career. The story of a stranded alien befriended by a suburban boy struck a universal chord, blending science fiction with genuine emotional warmth. It went on to become the highest grossing film of its time, cementing Spielberg's reputation and leaving a lasting mark on popular culture, family cinema, and the era's fascination with wonder, friendship, and the unknown lurking just beyond ordinary life.
This cell preserves a card marking the film's opening, the kind of frame that introduces audiences to the story before the narrative unfolds. Featuring Elliott and E.T. together at this early point signals the bond between boy and visitor that anchors the entire picture. For collectors, these introductory strips hold particular value, capturing the moment a film announces itself and its central relationship in a single strip of celluloid. As a piece of 35mm history, it stands as a tangible fragment of the beginning of one of cinema's most beloved friendships.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
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 appear clean with no visible torn or ragged holes.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a second narrower track adjacent, consistent with a stereo optical print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters; edge margins are present but text is not legible.
Base & colour
The base carries a faint cyan-green tint typical of safety polyester or acetate stock; the dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines consistent with projection are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be identical title-card frames from the same held shot, matching the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial title artwork on record.
Era check
A stereo variable-area optical track on 35mm safety-base stock with this perforation pitch 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 000062756
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
