Steven Spielberg's masterpiece ET aluminium model sells off at $2,560,000

With 85 different points of movement, the aluminium alloy-designed extra-terrestrial (ET) alien model for the 1982 classic ET: The Extra-Terrestrial was sold at a recent Julien's Auctions, and TCM Presents: Icons and Idols Hollywood Auction for an astounding $2,560,000.

Long before computer animations were available, the great Italian special effects expert, Carlo Rambaldi, developed and built the aluminium alloy skeleton model of the endearing extra-terrestrial (ET).

Directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, the film was the highest-grossing movie of all time, surpassing Star Wars, and it maintained that title for eleven years until Spielberg's own Jurassic Park overtook it in 1993.

"Pre-dating modern CGI technology and effects, this one-of-a-kind cinematographic relic (constructed in 1981) features 85 points of movement and is regarded as an engineering masterpiece," read the description of the model.

All those who saw ET: The Extra-Terrestrial, in which an extra-terrestrial crash-landed from space and was taken in and cared for by a group of school children who kept it a secret from adults, will never forget the alien model. Drew Barrymore, who played the lead role in the movie, was said to have carried lunch for the ET daily, as the model seemed so real at that time. She was only seven then and was a part of the child star cast.