Original ‘E.T.’ Model Sells at Auction for $2.56 Million

It appears E.T,. has finally phoned home, and to the tune of 2.56 million bucks.

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At least, that’s how much someone paid for the original mechatronic model of the small and friendly alien from Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

And you read that right — it sold for a whopping $2.56 million as part of the “Icons and Idols: Hollywood” sale put on by Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies, organizers said.

“Considered an engineering masterpiece, this one-of-a-kind animatronic figure, featuring 85 points of articulation, pre-dates the advent of CGI (Computer Graphic Imagery) effects in filmmaking, and was designed, developed and engineered in 1981,” the lot description read, via CNN.

The movie made not just a star of the alien, but then-child actors Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore. It centered on E.T.’s longing to get back home in outer space after mistakenly ending up in a suburban neighborhood.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

It was a film that also ended up winning four Oscars in 1982, including Best Visual Effects. The robot purchased at the auction was a major reason why.

As for the story, it remains relatable today, Thomas said in an interview with CNN in the fall.

“It speaks to our universal human compassion,” Thomas said. “And we all have that. We all have the nurturer inside of us, right? So I think it speaks to that. It brings us back to being young.”

Someone came up with $2.56 million to make sure that remained the case.

Read More: Drew Barrymore Sent Steven Spielberg Photos of Her Dressed as a Nun After Her Playboy Shoot

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