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Started By
Message
Why is E.T. The most inaccessible film of all time?
Posted on 7/20/14 at 4:48 pm
Posted on 7/20/14 at 4:48 pm
I remember the dawn of video rental. If a movie was a huge box office hit, the video rental of it too for fricking ever to be released. E.T. Was the worst offender, and wasn't released, by my recollection, ever. Not really, but by the time it was, I had long since stopped caring.
I've only recently seen it on cable. Prior to that, nothing. For a film that is supposed to be so iconic, it really makes itself hard to find.
I've only recently seen it on cable. Prior to that, nothing. For a film that is supposed to be so iconic, it really makes itself hard to find.
11
Posted on 7/20/14 at 4:51 pm to UL-SabanRival
Posted on 7/20/14 at 4:53 pm to UL-SabanRival
Posted on 7/20/14 at 5:04 pm to UL-SabanRival
Posted on 7/20/14 at 5:15 pm to auburnu008
Yes, as I suggested, anyone can watch it via the internet, but if you're old enough to remember video rental and the days of hoping something would come on cable, E.T. was always elusive. And if you lived through the 80s, it was completely unavailable on video.
I know I'm not the only person who remembers this.
I know I'm not the only person who remembers this.
Posted on 7/20/14 at 5:15 pm to UL-SabanRival
I know what you mean, its never on TV like other movies that are considered all-time greats.
Posted on 7/20/14 at 5:23 pm to UL-SabanRival
quote:
I had long since stopped caring.
How can one ever stop caring about ET? I RA'd.
Posted on 7/20/14 at 7:34 pm to CTexTiger
I know what you're talking about. I assume it was about money of course. I remember E.T. being at the Lakeside I-IV theaters(not to be confused with Lakeside Mall theaters) for over a year. It was literally in theaters for over a year. That doesn't happen anymore at all and I can't recall a movie in theaters longer than E.T. Then I remember it being rereleased in theaters in the 80's again and it still made bank. I'm assuming there was no good reason for a vhs release when it was still making money at the box office. It did release on VHS in the late 80's. It was also rereleased in theaters in early 2000's too.
Read somewhere that Spielberg was earning $500,000 a day on his share of profits.
I have no idea why you don't see it on TV that much. Maybe keeping it "scarce" so as to keep rereleasing every 10 years or so? I have no idea really.
Read somewhere that Spielberg was earning $500,000 a day on his share of profits.
I have no idea why you don't see it on TV that much. Maybe keeping it "scarce" so as to keep rereleasing every 10 years or so? I have no idea really.
Posted on 7/20/14 at 8:33 pm to SirSaintly
They followed the same strategy with E.T. that they did with a lot of the Disney classics: limited release on home video to keep it special.
Posted on 7/20/14 at 9:43 pm to timbo
That's what it reminds me of. The Disney movies. I know that a lot of movies make themselves scarce as saints guy says, but this one really seemed to go out of its way. It still being in theaters over a year after its initial release explains why it wasn't available for rental at the time, but everything afterward makes no sense to me.
Just glad someone else knows what I'm talking about.
Just glad someone else knows what I'm talking about.
Posted on 7/20/14 at 9:57 pm to SirSaintly
quote:
I know what you're talking about. I assume it was about money of course. I remember E.T. being at the Lakeside I-IV theaters(not to be confused with Lakeside Mall theaters) for over a year. It was literally in theaters for over a year. That doesn't happen anymore at all and I can't recall a movie in theaters longer than E.T.
I saw it at that theater in the one with the pitched roof on the end of the string of theaters.
How long was The Wall in theaters? I thought it was at that theater for more than a year.
Rocky Horror?
Posted on 7/21/14 at 12:20 am to UL-SabanRival
This is strange to hear, to be honest, as I had the VHS for E.T. really on (I was born in 82) and can't not remember either having the VHS or seeing the movie on TV.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 12:50 am to UL-SabanRival
The Lion King was the same way, until they finally released it in BluRay.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 7:47 am to SparkyAvenger
Wanna borrow my VHS copy? 
I'm in the mood to watch Gremlins now...
I'm in the mood to watch Gremlins now...Posted on 7/21/14 at 7:58 am to UL-SabanRival
quote:
I had long since stopped caring
You turned off your Heart Light....
Posted on 7/21/14 at 8:08 am to UL-SabanRival
Meh - popular movies ran for months back then. Video was just starting to be a factor in the early 90s - certainly not something over which Spielberg lost sleep.
By the time of it's VHS release in the late 80s, things had changed. E.T. was one of the first heavily pirated videos, and consequently, an early example of an elaborate copy protection scheme was used on that release.
By the time of it's VHS release in the late 80s, things had changed. E.T. was one of the first heavily pirated videos, and consequently, an early example of an elaborate copy protection scheme was used on that release.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 8:09 am to UL-SabanRival
quote:
And if you lived through the 80s, it was completely unavailable on video.
i grew up in the 80s and have never seen ET on DVD or in a theater (or streaming...or blu ray)
...yet i've seen it.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 9:51 am to SlowFlowPro
i never even really thought about this. ET was one of the first movies i remember seeing in the theater when i was 6 and i don't even think i've seen it all the way through since.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 11:13 am to timbo
and that was one the networks ALWAYS grabbed.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 2:53 pm to SirSaintly
quote:
Read somewhere that Spielberg was earning $500,000 a day on his share of profits
Do you mean that he is earning $500,000 per day in royalties, or that his profits from the film are presently earning $500,000 per day? I might believe the latter. There's no way it is the former. Either way, it is very hard to believe he's earning over $180 million a year on ET earnings.
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