3. MOVIES 4 - 2

4. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial - $400,000,000

Director: Steven Spielberg
Year released: 1982

For many years, little E.T. held onto the top spot on our list, and it was almost unthinkable that movies would be made which would make more money. But records were made to be broken, after all. The movie did a fine job of launching the careers of its actors, two of whom (Drew Barrymore and Erika Eleniak) later went on to pose nude for Playboy magazine.

The script was actually written by Harrison Ford's wife, Melissa Mathison, and Ford initially had a role as the school principal. But Harrison was left on the cutting room floor in the end because Spielberg thought his presence was too distracting. People were fascinated with the biblical references in the story: E.T. descends from heaven to earth, Elliot's mom is a single woman named Mary, and he's got that crazy glowing (sacred?) heart and the power to heal. And they nearly crucified him in the end. It's the Christ story with a happy ending . . . thank you, Hollywood!


3. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - $431,000,000

Director: George Lucas
Year released: 1999

Imagine calling a movie a failure just because it doesn't make a billion dollars in two weeks. Can anyone say "unrealistic expectations?" Yet that's exactly what happened to poor Episode I. Having taken a 17-year hiatus between films, there was no way that George Lucas could ever please his audience.

A pre-pubescent Darth Vader and young girl queen Natalie Portman were all very cutesy, but the story kind of chewed. Instead of bumbling Ewoks, there is a long-eared tribe of futuristic primitives living underwater in a bubble world. What was George smoking?


2. Star Wars - $461,000,000

Directors: George Lucas
Year released: 1977 & 1997

The original space-tacular movie that spawned so many imitators, Star Wars was the first (or fourth, depending on how you look at it) and original chapter of the George Lucas brainchild that will be with us for many years to come. It'll also be known for its ridiculously simple plot and 7-year-old conception of good and evil. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Star Wars proved that young audiences are incredibly valuable. One of the first films to include outrageous merchandising tie-ins (who didn't have Star Wars sheets?), it changed the movie industry forever.