E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies

Steven Spielberg directed and co-produced the 1982 science fiction movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Melissa Mathison provided the screenplay and Kathleen Kennedy co-produced the movie. E.T. stars Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace, and Peter Coyote. Spielberg based the character E.T. on an imaginary friend he created after the divorce of his parents in 1960.

Spielberg pitched the screenplay to Columbia Pictures but they passed on it. Columbia referred to the film as “a wimpy Walt Disney movie.” Filming began in September and ended in December 1981. The film’s budget was $10.5 million and earned $792.9 million at the box office. E.T. was a blockbuster and became the most financially successful film released up to that point. According to a Rotten Tomatoes survey, E.T. is considered the best science fiction film of all time. Director Steven Spielberg says E.T. epitomizes his work.