On the 40th anniversary of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the TCM Classic Film Festival will open with a screening of the classic film on April 21st. Steven Spielberg and producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are said to be attending the event. The screening will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
“I was 15 years old when E.T. came out, and what was true then remains so today; the film continues to speak to both children and adults. And it’s fair to say that this is the most influential family film since The Wizard of Oz,” Ben Mankiewicz, TCM primetime anchor, and host of the festival said in a statement.
E.T. premiered on June 11th, 1982, and became the world’s highest-grossing film at the time, surpassing Star Wars (1977). It made $792M or $2.29 billion dollars in today’s dollars. After being virtual the past two years due to the pandemic, the TCM Festival returns to fans on April 21-24. The theme is set to be “All Together Now: Back to the Big Screen.” Lily Tomlin will be honored with a hand and footprint ceremony in TCL Chinese Courtyard. Leonard Maltin will receive the third Robert Osborne Award, which recognizes an individual who has helped keep the cultural heritage of classic film alive for future generations.
Among the films announced so far: After the Thin Man (1936), Drunken Master II (1994), Force of Evil (1948), Giant (1956), The Last of Sheila (1973), Lilies of the Field (1963), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Portrait of Jennie (1948) and The Wizard of Oz (1939).
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