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One of the Best Sci-Fi Family Films of All Time Is Phoning a New Streamer

2025-11-29 17:40
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One of the Best Sci-Fi Family Films of All Time Is Phoning a New Streamer

One of the best sci-fi family films of all time, Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, is heading to streaming this December.

One of the Best Sci-Fi Family Films of All Time Is Phoning a New Streamer Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore and  Robert MacNaughton looking at E.T. in E.T. The Extra-Terrestial Henry Thomas as Elliott, Drew Barrymore as Gertie, and Robert MacNaughton as Michael Taylor, looking at E.T. in E.T. The Extra-TerrestialImage via Universal Pictures 4 By  Jake Hodges Published 39 minutes ago In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.  Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

At a time like Christmas, many of us like nothing more than coming together and catching the best family films on streaming. Perhaps, for a film to keep every generation utterly enthralled, there is no better option than E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, director Steven Spielberg's sci-fi masterpiece. However, it was recently confirmed by Netflix that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial would be leaving the site at the end of November, leaving families across the country scrambling to catch their favorite sci-fi tale in time.

Fear not, E.T. fans, as Starz have swept in to save the day, with Spielberg's masterpiece officially heading to the streamer this December 1. Starring the likes of Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton, and a young Drew Barrymore, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was also produced by Spielberg and featured a Melissa Mathison-penned screenplay. The movie is an unquestionable critical success and is one of the only sci-fi films to boast a near-perfect 99% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus on the site reads, "Playing as both an exciting sci-fi adventure and a remarkable portrait of childhood, Steven Spielberg's touching tale of a homesick alien remains a piece of movie magic for young and old." A synopsis for the movie reads:

"After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien."

'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' Is One of the Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time

Released over four decades ago, E.T. remarkably turned a $10.5 million budget into almost $800 million. When adjusted for inflation, the film totals over $1.5 billion at the box office, which would raise it to fifth in the all-time global rankings for sci-fi movies. On its opening weekend, the film unsurprisingly topped the box office charts in the U.S., and incredibly managed to stay in the top two for another 18 weeks.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is joining Starz this December. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for all the latest streaming stories.

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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Like Follow Followed pg Science Fiction Adventure Family Fantasy Release Date June 11, 1982 Runtime 115 minutes Director Steven Spielberg Writers Melissa Mathison Producers Kathleen Kennedy Franchise(s) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

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  • instar51288781.jpg Henry Thomas Elliott
  • instar52654682.jpg Drew Barrymore Gertie

Genres Science Fiction, Adventure, Family, Fantasy Powered by ScreenRant logo Expand Collapse Follow Followed Like Share Facebook X WhatsApp Threads Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Copy link Email Close Thread Sign in to your Collider account

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