The film was met with widespread acclaim, winning over both fans of the book and the media alike. Critics lauded not only the movie itself but also commended Steven for his skillful direction.
Richard received significant recognition, praised both for his screenplay and his outstanding performance in the film.
Amidst all the anticipation and buzz generated by the media, the film's first-day box office figures were released, revealing an impressive $5 million. The figure astonished both the media and Richard himself.
Historically, E.T. had a monumental box office success during its original theatrical run, grossing $619 million worldwide and reaching a total of $792 million from two re-releases—$435 million of that from North America. Consequently, Richard felt a surge of excitement as he aimed to surpass these previous numbers.
The box office success provided Universal Pictures with a significant boost. They invested additional $5 million in publicity, raising the film's budget from $10 million to $15 million.
In response to the strong opening, they increased the number of theaters screening it from 1,000 to 1,500 the very next day.
Richard was still lost in a cocoon of dreams, completely oblivious to the whirlwind of excitement brewing outside his plush hotel suite.
“Richy! Richy! Wake up!” Ari’s voice sliced through the tranquil air like a hot knife through butter.
Richard peeled open his eyes, blinking at the intruder. “Oh… let me sleep some more, Mom,” he mumbled, still half-dreaming.
“It’s me, Ari! Now wake up!!” there was an unmistakably charged excitement in Ari’s vice that ricocheted off the walls.
“Why are you in my room, and how did you get the key?” Richard’s confusion was palpable, but that only seemed to add fuel to Ari’s fire.
“I got a spare key from the hotel with your mother’s permission… Forget that! The weekly box office results are out!” Ari could barely contain his exhilaration.
Richard rubbed the sleep from his eyes, adrenaline slowly kicking in. “How much?” he asked eagerly.
“Twenty-five million!” Ari nearly toppled over from excitement, beaming like he’d just found a gold nugget in the backyard.
“What?” Richard sat up straight, his heart racing. “Twenty-five million? Are you serious?”
“Twenty-five million! It broke the weekly box office record!” Ari burst out, the laughter bubbling up from him like a fizzy soda bottle that had been shaken.
News of box office breakdowns traveled at the speed of light in Hollywood, and the congratulatory phone calls began rolling in. Richard barely had time to process the shocking number before his phone buzzed with messages from Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, and Thomas Crane. Each congratulatory note only added to the reality of his situation – the film was a hit, and he was suddenly a hot topic.
The outcome exceeded Richard's expectations. In his previous life, the film's first-weekend earnings were approximately $11 million. Considering the additional support from the book's fan base, he anticipated the film would earn between $15 and $18 million. However, he never imagined it would achieve this level of success; it was beyond anything he could have dreamed.
Over the next few weeks, the numbers continued to defy logic—next was thirty million, then thirty-one, then twenty-nine. It was like they were playing pinball; each bounce of success led to another outlandish high score. The grim calendar tossed aside its days, and within just a month, the total gross of E.T. shot up to a staggering one hundred and fifteen million, leaving everyone in the industry scrambling for explanations.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Seeing such a gratifying result Universal Pictures held a party in the success of E.T. Richard participated with Hanna. A lot of celebrates were invited along with many Hollywood bigwigs. He couldn't imagine seeing so many big shots in one place.
"Hello, Mr. Lucas! I loved your Star Wars series," Richard said, spotting George Lucas.
"Hello, young Richard. Congratulations on your success! But please, call me George," Lucas replied warmly.
“Thank you, George! If you don’t mind me asking—”
“Not at all, go ahead,” he encouraged.
“Do you have any upcoming projects?”
"Are you already looking for your next job?" Lucas teased.
"Well, George, it's tough to be a child actor, especially for males.
Landing a movie role is much harder than hitting a home run," Richard joked.
"Ha! Good one, kid." he laughed.
"I'm set to start filming the next Star Wars movie," Lucas shared after finding himself.
"That’s awesome! Don't forget to invite me to the premiere!" Richard replied, moving on to where Hanna was chatting with someone else.
“Absolutely,” George promised.
The party unfolded seamlessly, with Richard and Hanna mingling with various attendees. Many extended their congratulations, discussing potential future collaborations, but the highlight for Richard was receiving a promise from Spielberg to read his next script, with the possibility of co-production if it impressed him
E.T. was still going at the box office. By the end of October, it grossed $105 million only dropping 10% earning $220 million in North America and $185.5 million overseas which was released by the end of 3rd week for a total of $405.5 million making it the second highest grossing film just below the $550.9 million gross of STAR WARS(1980).
By the fourteenth week, E.T. grossed $325.4 million in North America and $214.6 million from overseas, for a worldwide total of $540 million, making it the highest-grossing film of the 1980s since Star Wars (1977).
But it was finally removed from the screen after its nineteenth week, grossing about 354 million in North America and about 246 million overseas, for a grand total of 600 million. It became the second film in history to reach the 600 million mark and the first longest-running film in history.
Such a stunning answer sheet shocked the world but also brought it to media attention once again, the name Steven Spielberg, R.R Jackson once again came in news headlines or news channels. But it also surprised Richard a lot because he didn't expect such a high result from it and he couldn't find a reasonable explanation for it, so he can only call it luck.
Sometimes luck plays an important factor.