ET, phone home, you need a sales boost

The re-release of Steven Spielberg's classic film ET The Extra-Terrestrial to mark its 20th anniversary is proving to be a flop.

Though Spielberg has included scenes cut from the original to woo back audiences, industry chiefs admit that so many people have the video and know the film so well that it is proving harder than expected to get them to see it again.

The industry also believes that cult successes such as 2001: A Space Odyssey do better on a re-release than a mass entertainment film.

Latest figures from Hollywood show that ET took just $6.6m (£4.6m) from 26 countries over the Easter weekend. It was most successful in Mexico, which accounted for $1.4m (£975,000). Britain was next highest with £1.15m (£800,000).

Paul Oneile, chief executive of UIP, the film's distributors, said the figures were towards the bottom end of expectations, but he was not expecting "massive" numbers.

An industry source said: "One possibility is that re-releases need to be cult films. You need an in-built fan base. Just being a massive hit is not enough."

On its original release in 1982 ET won four Oscars and grossed $725m (£505m) worldwide. The new version looks similar to the original, though the sound has been digitally enhanced and a couple of minor scenes have been added. Some of the images have been computer-enhanced; and ET's smile certainly looks more expressive.

In response to 11 September, the word "terrorist" has been cut. And 11 September probably accounts for the oddest change of all: the posse chasing ET now carry walkie talkies instead of guns. Critics believe this has detracted from the tension of that scene but Spielberg has said he had regretted including them in the original release.

The re-release is nonetheless likely to augment the statistics around Spielberg's place in movie history – the new version has grossed $24.3m (£17m) to date.