Two of Steven Spielberg’s finest classics are in for a spectacular rerelease this summer, as bothE.T. the Extra-Terrestialand Jaws will be making their IMAX debut, all to commemorate the 40th anniversary ofE.T.and its legacy in sci-fi and movies as a whole.
For Spielberg,Jawswas his first true big break in Hollywood after getting his directorial debut in 1974’sThe Sugarland Express, hardly the type of movie the director would end up becoming famous for. To this day, bothJawsandE.T.rank quite high on the list of highest grossing films of all-time, placing seventh and fourth, respectively, withStar Wars: The Force Awakensbeing the first modern film to crack the adjusted for inflation records.
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This very special IMAX release is set to roll out in the United States only, at least for now, withE.T.kicking off the celebration of Spielberg’s work on August 12.Jawswill follow closely with a September 2 premiere to cap off the summer, all with the added bonus of the shark thriller also being screened in RealD 3D for some reason. Although these two classics have been released and reworked several times, this is truly the first time they’ve made the jump to those huge IMAX screens
To ensure fans of Spielberg don’t miss out on the news, Universal Pictures is packing a special trailer forE.T.inJurassic World Dominionshowings. Said preview is one that should be posted online later and might expand the base audience gearing to seeE.T.come summer. The relationship between Spielberg and theJurassic Worldseems like a proper fit given thatJurassic Parkis a seminal piece of cinema in his filmography and its follow-up,The Lost World: Jurassic Park, is probably the second best movie in the franchise.
Suffice to say, Spielberg’s career is one of the most impressive in cinema history, withJawsandE.T., alongsideRaiders of the Lost Ark, marking the first few times his films made a splash at award ceremonies. He later earned wins for Best Director withSchindler’s ListandSaving Private Ryan, though the former is his only Best Picture. Unsurprisingly, Spielberg hasn’t really ever stopped working, with last year’sWest Side Storybeing his latest highly-acclaimed film.
Spielberg will likely always be one of themost influential directors ever, especially in sci-fi, and even ifE.T.is one of the first things that comes to mind, there are plenty of underrated Spielberg movies out there.
E.T.will be released in IMAX theaters on August 07, 2025, whileJawswill follow on Jul 04, 2025.
