In the thick of promoting Disclosure Day, Steven Spielberg revisited one of his other great classics: E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial.
Many have rightly drawn a parallel between the newly released Disclosure Day and the cult favorite Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg, it seems, is today extending, perhaps even finalizing, a trajectory started by the 1977 film (hardcore fans might even mention the rarity Firelight, his first feature shot for $500). Yet the master’s fascination with aliens may have peaked in 1982 with E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial.
And when we talk about E.T., we think, certainly, of a kid on a bike gliding before the moon, certainly of the line “E.T. Phone Home”, certainly of a box-office smash (about $797.3 million in receipts on a $10.5 million budget), but above all of a finale that left us crying buckets. Why, why did little Elliott (Henry Thomas) and his friend with the telescoping finger have to part? And especially, will they ever meet again? A question Spielberg has recently answered.
In the end, the film is undeniably stronger for it. And we probably didn’t need this confirmation from the director to suspect that E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial was steering in that direction: growing up is also about saying goodbye a little to the world of childhood. That said, as the saying goes: once released, a film belongs to everyone. Those who want to believe wholeheartedly in tender reunions can proceed without Spielberg’s blessing.
And perhaps the latter is a touch mistaken. As the outlet Première notes, E.T. and an Elliott grown-up (Henry Thomas, age 54 to date) had unofficially reappeared in a Thanksgiving 2019 Xfinity commercial. Sacrilege or a cheeky nod? We’ll let everyone judge for themselves. Disclosure Day hit theaters on June 10, 2026.
