If you've never seen E.T. on the big screen, then you probably haven't seen one of the world's most loved movies the way it was meant to be seen.
Event Cinemas and Birch Carroll & Coyle are doing their best to rectify that.
When E.T. was released on DVD, director Steven Spielberg digitally edited rifles out of the hands of policemen chasing down the lovable alien and replaced them with walkie talkies. Not a huge deal, in a post-George Lucas world, but it constituted a rare moment of weakness for Spielberg and the fans roasted him for it (Spielberg himself has admitted he regrets the decision, which was made to appease parent groups).
As part of celebrations for Universal Pictures' 100th birthday (and ET's 30th anniversary), cinemas in South East Queensland will screen a newly restored version of the Oscar winning film. Visual and audio elements of the film have been intricately restored, and while some scratches and audio impurities have been eliminated, the film itself will be the same one that charmed audiences around the world in 1982. No walkie talkies allowed.
The screenings come after the enthusiastic response to a session at Sydney's majestic State Theatre, and in the lead-up to the restored edition's Blu-Ray release on October 31. It'll be a bittersweet experience for true E.T. fans, after the death of E.T.'s mechatronic creator, Carlo Rambaldi, in August.
Screenings will be held at 1pm each day over the October long weekend with tickets just $9 each. Tickets are on sale now here.
