Steven Spielberg’s 115-minute Sci-fi Masterpiece Soars Back to the Top of the Streaming Charts
Steven Spielberg's 1982 classic *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* has returned to the top of the streaming charts after being added to Apple TV earlier this month, giving new audiences a chance to revisit one of the director's most beloved films. The renewed popularity comes as Spielberg has been in the spotlight this year for his return to science fiction with *Disclosure Day*, reinforcing his long-standing fascination with extraterrestrial life across a career spanning more than five decades.
*E.T.* tells the story of Elliott, a lonely ten-year-old boy who befriends a stranded alien and tries to help it get home before government scientists intervene, and it became both a critical and commercial phenomenon, ranking among the highest-grossing films of its era. Spielberg's latest film, *Disclosure Day*, starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor and Colman Domingo, opened at number one with $44 million domestically and $92.9 million worldwide, marking his biggest opening for an original film in years, while he has also revealed plans to direct his first Western.
- E.T. tops streaming charts again after joining Apple TV this month
- Spielberg's Disclosure Day already scored his biggest original-film opening
- Director says he's now developing his first-ever Western film
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Steven Spielberg directed E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982, a science-fiction film about a young boy named Elliott who befriends an alien stranded on Earth and helps it evade government scientists while trying to get home. It was a huge hit on release and has long been regarded as one of Spielberg's defining works, cementing his reputation as a filmmaker drawn repeatedly to stories about extraterrestrial contact.
Spielberg's career now spans more than fifty years, taking in blockbusters, dramas and science-fiction films alike. His interest in the genre has resurfaced this year with a new film, which has brought fresh attention to his back catalogue, including E.T.
Streaming platforms regularly see older films rise back up their charts when they are newly added to a service or when a director's current work puts them back in the public eye, which is the context behind E.T.'s renewed popularity.