Two of Steven Spielberg‘s most beloved movies, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Jaws, are heading to IMAX theaters for the first time. The E.T. release is timed to the film’s 40th anniversary and will open on Aug. 12. Jaws will start its IMAX run on Sept. 2, and it will also play in ReadD 3D.
E.T. hit theaters in June 1982 and tells the story of Elliott (Henry Thomas), a boy who finds an alien in his backyard and befriends the extraterrestrial. Elliott, his family, and his friends work together to help E.T. find a way home before the government takes him. The script was written by Melissa Mathison and inspired by Spielberg’s own childhood during his parents’ divorce. It held the record for the highest-grossing movie of all time until Spielberg’s Jurassic Park broke the record. The movie won four Oscars and was added to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry in 1994.
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Jaws helped define the summer blockbuster upon its release in 1975. The movie is based on Peter Benchley’s novel about a Massachusetts town terrorized by a great white shark, and the three men who try to stop it. Jaws won three Oscars and joined the National Film Registry in 2001. Both E.T. and Jaws feature Oscar-winning scores from John Williams.
“Universal is honored to have been a part of so many extraordinary, unforgettable Steven Spielberg films over the past 47 years, including Jaws in 1975, E.T. in 1982, and Jurassic Park in 1993,” Jim Orr, Universal Pictures’ president of domestic theatrical distribution, said in a statement to Deadline. “No filmmaker, it’s fair to say, has had a greater or more enduring impact on American cinema or has created more indelible cinematic memories for tens of billions of people worldwide. We couldn’t think of a more perfect way to celebrate the anniversary of E.T. and the first Universal-Spielberg summer blockbuster, Jaws, than to allow audiences to experience these films in a way they’ve never been able to before.”
“IMAX is thrilled to partner with Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment to offer audiences the opportunity to experience these two iconic films in IMAX for the very first time,” Megan Colligan, President of IMAX Entertainment, added. “Steven Spielberg redefined modern cinema and ushered in a new era of bold, swing-for-the-fences filmmaking, and the IMAX Experience has expanded around the world because of the trail blazed by films like E.T. and Jaws.”
The IMAX releases are also timed for a slow part of the theatrical release calendar. The only films scheduled to open on Aug. 12 against E.T. are Roadside Attractions’ Emily the Criminal, GKids’ Inu-oh, Gravitas Premiere’s Mack & Rita, and Strand Releasing’s Girl Picture. Jaws will face Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul, a Regina Hall-starring comedy from Universal’s own Focus Features label, on Sept. 2.
