E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: 7 Reasons Spielberg’s 1982 Masterpiece Still Rules
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the 1982 Steven Spielberg masterpiece that redefined what a summer blockbuster could be — equal parts adventure, heartbreak, and pure childhood wonder. It made $359 million domestically in its original run and held the record as the highest-grossing film of all time for eleven years.
If you grew up in the early ’80s, you didn’t just see E.T. — you felt it. You probably cried, you absolutely wanted a Reese’s Pieces trail in your backyard, and there’s a solid chance you spent the next six months trying to make your bike fly. Few movies ever hit that hard, and four decades later, it still does.
How E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Came to Life
The origin of E.T. is deeply personal. After his parents’ divorce in 1960, a young Steven Spielberg invented an imaginary alien friend — “a friend who could be the brother I never had and a father that I didn’t feel I had anymore,” as he later described it. That lonely kid’s fantasy eventually became one of the most beloved films ever made.
