E.T. is going to someone’s home — for a $2.56 million price tag.
The figure used in the iconic 1982 Steven Spielberg film “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” sold for that sum at an auction in Beverly Hills, Calif., over the weekend. Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions, which held the auction in Beverly Hills, Calif., in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies, called the event a “first and once-in-a-lifetime sale.”
The E.T. figure was deemed by Julien’s as a “one-of-a-kind cinematographic relic.” The California auction house added that the mechanized (or “Mechatronic”) figure featured 85 points of movement. It dates from the pre-CGI (computer-generated imagery) technology era — meaning filmmakers had to create effects essentially from scratch.
Julien’s told MarketWatch that the buyer wished to remain anonymous.
“E.T.” has become one of the best-selling films of all time, grossing nearly $800 million globally at the box office. The picture won four Oscars, including one for best visual effects.
The auction was devoted to movie memorabilia and featured other noteworthy items from a variety of classic films. The “holy staff” held by Charlton Heston in “The Ten Commandments” sold for $448,000. A prop “Nimbus 2000” broom from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” went for $128,000. And a pair of boxing gloves and shorts used by Robert DeNiro in “Raging Bull” brought $44,800.
There were other E.T. items sold at the auction as well, including the original model of E.T. made for Spielberg to approve the design. That went for $125,000.
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