Fallen to earth
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Phone home! Phone home and tell the folks to go to the cinema to see the re-release of ET. Steven Spielberg's charming extra-terrestrial is doing rather disappointingly the second time around.
At a time when Hollywood is supposedly embracing re-releases, the 20th anniversary edition of ET the Extra-Terrestrial took just £4m from 26 international territories over the Easter weekend.
On its original release in 1982, ET won four Oscars from nine nominations, grossing £200m in international box office receipts. Perhaps it was something to do with timing. After all, some of the more fanciful film critics have likened Spielberg's classic to the story of Jesus, with ET's first words – "be good" – echoing the sermon on the mount, and his miraculous ability to heal Elliot finding an obvious Biblical parallel.
Maybe ET couldn't compete with the real thing. Or perhaps we have simply lost our taste for whimsical sci-fi, especially when it is regularly repeated on television.
Either way, the appealing alien has met his match in the shape of Ali G in Da House, and has become just another of the Staines gangsta's victims.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments